Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown marked the second anniversary of Britain's first suicide bombings Saturday amid tight security in London and as an Iraqi doctor was due in court after three failed car bombings.
Brown, accompanied by London Mayor Ken Livingstone and his Parisian counterpart Bertrand Delanoe, laid flowers at a memorial garden at King's Cross railway station in memory of 52 commuters who died in the July 7, 2005 attacks.
The low-key ceremony -- Brown did not speak, simply bowing his head for a few minutes in quiet contemplation -- contrasted with last year's programme of commemorations and came with the capital still jittery over security.
Last Friday, two car bombs, including one outside a packed city centre nightclub, failed to go off in London, while the day after, a flaming Jeep Cherokee slammed into Glasgow airport in Scotland.
The first man to be charged over the botched attacks, 27-year-old Bilal Abdulla, was to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London Saturday for a preliminary hearing.
He was charged with conspiring to cause explosions by police Friday night but his full trial will not take place for months.
The charge covers a period from January 1 to July 1, alleging he "unlawfully and maliciously conspired with others to cause explosions of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property in the United Kingdom".
It carries a maximum sentence of life.
Abdulla was one of seven people detained in Britain over the attempted attacks. The others remain in custody, while one is under armed guard fighting for his life in hospital after suffering 90 percent burns.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors are likely to flock to London Saturday for one of the busiest weekends in the capital's calendar.
Police have tightened up security for the start of the Tour de France cycle race -- the first time the blue riband event has kicked off in the British capital.
Some 5,000 police will be deployed over the weekend for the tour, which is expected to attract about one million sports fans.
Heavy checks are in place as the Wimbledon tennis championship reaches its climax with the womens' final and the mens' semi-finals.
London is also hosting a leg of the giant, international Live Earth concerts which aim to raise public awareness of global warning. Stars including Madonna and Duran Duran are set to play at Wembley Stadium in the north-west.
In the face of such a busy day, many survivors did not want a major event to mark the second anniversary of the July 7 attacks, the biggest peacetime loss of life in Britain since World War II.
One of them, Rachel North, wrote on her blog, which she started after the attacks, that she would be marking the day privately by laying flowers with fellow survivors but added: "Life goes on."
"Last year, London stopped, and it was a very emotional day," she wrote.
"But this year, London on 7/7 has a major sporting event: the Tour De France, and a big music event, Live Earth, and the capital will be full of Londoners and tourists enjoying a busy weekend.
"I hope that the day passes without incident."
Brown, also accompanied by London minister Tessa Jowell, delivered his wreath at around 8:50am (0750 GMT), when the first bombs exploded.
A short message attached to the flowers which he laid read: "In remembrance and with deepest sympathy."
Work is currently under way to erect a permanent memorial to the victims in Hyde Park's Lovers' Walk.
