On 5 September 1975 a

bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the Exothermic process, exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-t ...

exploded in the lobby of the

Hilton Hotel Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from May ...

, London, killing two people and injuring 63.

Bombing

Ten minutes before the explosion, the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'' newspaper received a warning by telephone. Having been notified,

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

immediately sent three officers to investigate, but they were not able to evacuate the building before the bomb exploded at 12:18 BST. The

Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...

claimed responsibility for the bombing. Police worked quickly to clear the area after the explosion fearing there could be another device nearby. The blast caused extensive damage to the hotel and neighbouring shops with broken glass spread over a wide area. Witnesses said police arrived only five minutes before the bomb went off, and it is not clear whether the hotel was warned before they turned up. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said an officer telephoned the Hilton shortly after receiving the warning, but the hotel denied this. "A policeman was just telling the assistant manager that he had better evacuate when the bomb went off," said press officer Anne Crewdson.

Second bombing

A second attempt to bomb the London Hilton hotel was made on 7 September 1992. The explosion caused slight damage in a lavatory on the ground floor but nobody was injured.

Footnotes

{{The Troubles Explosions in 1975 Provisional IRA bombings in London 1975 murders in the United Kingdom Hilton bombing Hilton Hotels & Resorts hotels Attacks on hotels in Europe 1975 crimes in the United Kingdom September 1975 events in the United Kingdom 1970s in the City of Westminster Crime in the City of Westminster Building bombings in London Hotel bombings