Netflix’s next true crime documentary is about the London nail bombings

Netflix has announced that there is another true crime coming – this time being about the London nail bombings in 1999. Nail Bomber: Manhunt will be a documentary film, and is being released later this month.

Over three successive weekends between the 17th and 30th April in 1999, homemade nail bombs were detonated in Brixton in South London, at Brick Lane in Spitalfields in the East End, and at The Admiral Duncan pub in Soho in the West End. Each bomb contained up to 1,500 nails and they were left in public spaces.

via Netflix

The bombs killed three people, including a pregnant woman, and injured 140 people. Four of the injured people lost limbs as a result of the attacks. On May 2nd 1999, police charged 22-year-old David Copeland with murder. Copeland was a Neo-Nazi and member of far right political groups. The bombings had been aimed at London’s Black, Bengali and LGBT communities, and Copeland is said to have wanted to start a race war.

The Netflix documentary will focus on the story of what happened, as well as the subsequent manhunt for Copeland and how he was brought to justice. Copeland was convicted of murder in 2000 and given six life sentences. At the time, a judge said it would probably never be safe for him to be released.

via Netflix

The synopsis reads: “The story of how one man held London to ransom for 13 days in 1999. The far-right extremist detonated three bombs in Soho, Brixton and Brick Lane, hoping to start a race war. Instead, as the documentary reveals, he inspired ordinary people to stand up and take action, helping to catch him and ultimately bring him to justice.”

The film will interview witnesses and survivors, detectives, informants, and members of the local communities, as well as speaking to someone who spent 10 years undercover with the far right.

Watch the trailer for Nail Bomber: Manhunt on Netflix here:

Nail Bomber: Manhunt will be available on Netflix from May 26th. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

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