2009 Nouakchott suicide bombing | |
---|---|
Location | Nouakchott, Mauritania |
Date | 8 August 2009 |
Target | Embassy of France |
Attack type | Suicide bombing |
Weapons | Explosive belt |
Deaths | 1 (the perpetrator) |
Injured | 3 |
Perpetrators | al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb |
The 2009 Nouakchott suicide bombing occurred in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, on August 8, 2009, outside the embassy of France. It was the first instance of a suicide bombing in the history of Mauritania. [1] The bombing killed the perpetrator and wounded three people. [2]
The attack occurred three weeks after Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz had claimed victory in the contested 2009 Mauritanian presidential election. [1] His inauguration took place on August 5, 2009, just three days before the Nouakchott bombing. [3]
Mauritania has witnessed a series of terrorist attacks against Western interests in recent years. Four French tourists were kidnapped and murdered in 2007. [1] On June 23, 2009, an American teacher, Christopher Logest, was shot and killed in an attack in Nouakchott. [1] The terrorist group, Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), claimed responsibility for both attacks. [1]
The attacker, a young man, was reportedly wearing a boubou, a traditional men's garment common in Mauritania and other regions of West Africa. [1] The bomber wore an explosive belt. [3]
The man blew himself up on the sidewalk between the French embassy and the Embassy of Libya at approximately 7:00 pm local time. [1] [3] While both embassies were near the suicide bombing, the target was clearly the French embassy. [1] The explosion did not damage the French embassy. [1]
Two employees of the French embassy, who were identified as paramilitary gendarmes, were jogging nearby at the time of the attack. [1] Both were hospitalized overnight with minor injuries. [1] One other person was slightly injured in the attack. [3]
The detonations marked the first time that a suicide bombing had taken place in Mauritania. [1]
The government of France announced an investigation of the terrorist attack. [1] The French government issued a statement promising to support Mauritanian authorities during the inquiry. [3]
The Mauritanian police identified the suicide bomber as a Mauritanian man born in 1987. [3] Authorities stated that the perpetrator had been "formally identified as a member of the Jihadist movement." [3]
The French Foreign Ministry condemned, "with the greatest firmness the attack ... in Nouakchott near the French embassy." [3]
The Mauritanian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs issued a statement expressing that it,
wishes the injured a speedy recovery and expresses wholehearted solidarity to the Mauritanian authorities in the face of this act of terrorism. France reaffirms her determination to fight against terrorism alongside the Mauritanian authorities and people. [4]
The 2002 Mombasa attacks were a two-pronged terrorist attack on 28 November 2002 in Mombasa, Kenya against an Israeli-owned hotel and a plane belonging to Arkia Airlines. An all-terrain vehicle crashed through a barrier outside the Paradise Hotel and blew up, killing 13 and injuring 80. At the same time, attackers fired two surface-to-air missiles at an Israeli charter plane. The Paradise Hotel was the only Israeli-owned hotel in the Mombasa area. The attacks were believed to be orchestrated by al-Qaeda operatives in Somalia in an attempt to disrupt the Israeli tourist industry on the African continent. Much speculation has occurred as to who the perpetrators are, but no complete list of suspects has been defined. The attack was the second al-Qaeda terrorist operation in Kenya, following the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi in 1998. Following the attack, the UN Security Council and other nations condemned the bombing.
A series of bombings occurred on 1 October 2005 in Bali, Indonesia. Bombs exploded at two sites in Jimbaran Beach resort and in Kuta 30 km (19 mi) away, both in south Bali. The terrorist attack claimed the lives of 20 people and injured more than 100 others. The attack was known in Indonesia as the second Bali bombing or Bali bombing II to distinguish it from the previous attack in 2002.
An Islamist insurgency is taking place in the Maghreb region of North Africa, followed on from the end of the Algerian Civil War in 2002. The Algerian militant group Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) allied itself with al-Qaeda to eventually become al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The Algerian and other Maghreb governments fighting the militants have worked with the United States and the United Kingdom since 2007, when Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara began.
On 11 December 2010, two bombs exploded in central Stockholm, killing the bomber. Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt and the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO) described the bombings as acts of terrorism.
On April 15, 2011, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in a mosque in a police compound in the city of Cirebon, in West Java, Indonesia. The attack occurred around 12:20 WIB (UTC+7) during Friday prayers.
A twin suicide bombing of an Egged bus occurred in the French Hill settlement of northern East Jerusalem on 18 May 2003. Seven passengers were killed in the attack, and 20 injured. A few minutes after the first attack, a second suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to the village of Dahiya el-Barid, near Jerusalem. Only the bomber was killed in what appeared to be a premature detonation.
The 2012 Burgas bus bombing was a terrorist attack carried out by a suicide bomber on a passenger bus transporting Israeli tourists at the Burgas Airport in Burgas, Bulgaria, on 18 July 2012. The bus was carrying 42 Israelis, mainly youths, from the airport to their hotels, after arriving on a flight from Tel Aviv. The explosion killed the Bulgarian bus driver and five Israelis and injured 32 Israelis, resulting in international condemnation of the bombing.
On 1 February 2013, a suicide bomber attacked the United States embassy in Ankara, Turkey, killing a security guard and wounding three others. The bombing was subsequently denounced as an act of terrorism by both Turkey and the United States.
On December 31, 2014, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the cultural center in Ibb, Yemen, killing as many as 49 people and injuring up to 70 others. This was the deadliest attack in the country during 2014, as well as the second major bombing in less than a month, after the 2014 Rada' bombings.
A suicide bombing took place on 26 June 2015 at a Shia mosque in Kuwait. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack. Sabah al-Sabah, the Emir at the time, arrived at the location of the incident after a short period of time. Twenty-seven people were killed and 227 people were wounded.
On 12 January 2016, a suicide attack in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district killed 13 people, all foreigners, and injured 14 others. The attack occurred at 10:20 local time, near the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, an area popular among tourists. The attacker was Nabil Fadli, a Syrian member of the Islamic State.
On 14 January 2016, multiple explosions and gunfire were reported near the Sarinah shopping mall in central Jakarta, Indonesia, at the intersection of Jalan Kyai Haji Wahid Hasyim and Jalan MH Thamrin. One blast went off in a Burger King restaurant outside the mall. The attack occurred near a United Nations (UN) information centre, as well as luxury hotels and foreign embassies. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) confirmed that a Dutch UN official was seriously injured in the attacks. It was reported an armed stand-off took place on the fourth level of the Menara Cakrawala on Jalan MH Thamrin. At least eight people—four attackers and four civilians —were killed, and 23 others were injured due to the attack. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility.
On 19 March 2016, a suicide bombing took place in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district in front of the district governor's office. The attack occurred at 10:55 (EET) at the intersection of Balo Street with İstiklal Avenue, a central shopping street. The attack caused at least five deaths, including that of the perpetrator. Thirty-six people were injured, including seven whose injuries were severe. Among those injured were twelve foreign tourists. Among those killed, three were of Israeli nationality. On 22 March, the Turkish interior minister said that the bomber had links with ISIL.
On 11 December 2016, a suicide bomber killed 29 people and injured 47 others at St. Peter and St. Paul's Church, a chapel next to Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope, in Cairo's Abbasia district. Egypt's President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi identified the bomber as 22-year-old Mahmoud Shafiq Mohammed Mustafa, who had worn a suicide vest. el-Sisi reported that three men and a woman have been arrested in connection with the attack; two others are being sought. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
On 13 February 2017, a suicide bombing took place on the Mall Road in Lahore, Pakistan, where a group of chemists and pharmacists were holding a protest at Charing Cross in front of the Punjab provincial assembly. According to Punjab Police sources, 18 people were killed, including several police officials, and at least 87 were injured.
On 16 February 2017, a suicide bombing took place inside the Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, Sindh, Pakistan, where pilgrims were performing a Sufi ritual after the evening prayers. At least 90 people were killed and over 300 injured.
On 12 August 2017, a suicide bombing took place near a Pakistan army truck in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, leaving 15 people dead including 8 soldiers, while injuring 40 others. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the attack.
On 1 February 2008, at least three gunmen who allegedly belonged to the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb opened fire outside the Israeli embassy in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. Armed with rifles and grenades, they injured three bystanders. Eight suspects were later arrested.
On 13 July 2018, ahead of Pakistan's general election, two bombings took place at election rallies in Bannu and Mastung.
In the morning of January 27, 2019, two bombs exploded at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, Sulu, Philippines. Twenty people were killed and 102 others injured. The bombings took place a week after the autonomy plebiscite held on January 21 for the creation of Bangsamoro. It is believed that the Abu Sayyaf carried out the attacks, and the Islamic State claimed responsibility. President Rodrigo Duterte responded by issuing an "all-out war" directive against the Abu Sayyaf. The bombings were widely condemned by other countries and organizations.