'Animated' London bombers gathered in station corridor 'huddle', inquest hears

The London bombers gathered in a huddle like a celebrating sports team before splitting up to kill 52 people, the July 7 inquest was told today.

Joseph Martoccia, a Cambridgeshire businessman, saw them gathered in a busy corridor at King’s Cross station, close to barriers for several Tube lines.

Speaking at the Royal Courts of Justice, he said: “I could not hear anything, I had my iPod on.

“They were very animated and at first I thought they were a sports team, a cricket team in fact, because the bags they were wearing were pretty large.”

Describing them as in a “huddle”, Mr Martoccia said the men were upbeat despite heading in separate directions.

He said: “They were incredibly animated and spirited and went in different directions, not as a team. I recall that was a little odd at the time.”

The inquest heard Mr Martoccia told police they were hugging and appeared to be “celebrating something”.

In his statement, he also said they were “euphoric, such was their happiness and excitement”.

The businessman said the men ignored other commuters bustling through the passageway and made no attempt to conceal their behaviour.

Mr Martoccia, who believed there were between four and six men, said they pushed close to him and were “in may face” which “I did not take kindly to”.

The coroner was told he caught the eye of one of the shorter men, who he later identified as Shehzad Tanweer when shown a photograph by police.