French student Ihab Slimane was spending the summer in London to improve his English when he became one of the victims of the 7 July bomb attacks on the capital.

He had just completed an IT engineering degree from the University Institute of Technology (UIT) near Grenoble and before resuming his studies in September, he wanted to increase his language skills to help his future career as a computer programmer.

Mr Slimane, 24, was of Tunisian descent and a Muslim. He had been in England for only a short while, working as a waiter in a French restaurant Gabrielle's, and had been making a good impression.

Sebastien Marteaux, manager of Gabrielle’s, said: "He was a nice, hard-working boy who would do anything you asked of him. He was always telling jokes and always had a smile on his face."

His father, who said Ihab was “timid, obedient and kind,” travelled from the family home in Lyon after the attacks to search for his son. Mr Slimane was among the 26 people who died on the Piccadilly Line between King’s Cross and Russell Square. In total 52 people died as a result of blasts around the city.

French president Jacques Chirac sent his condolences to the family and said: “The solidarity of the entire nation is with his family which has been hit by this terrible sadness.”