 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2019) |
The United States maintains numerous embassies and consulates around the world, many of which are in war-torn countries or other dangerous areas.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2019) |
The United States maintains numerous embassies and consulates around the world, many of which are in war-torn countries or other dangerous areas.
The Regional Security Office is staffed by Special Agents of the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and is responsible for all security, protection, and law enforcement operations in the embassy or consulate. The Regional Security Officer (RSO) is the senior DSS Special Agent in country and is the principal adviser to the Chief of Mission (generally an Ambassador or Consul General) on all security, law-enforcement, and counter-terrorism issues for that country or region. The RSO is responsible for liaising with the host government's security and law enforcement officials. The RSO is supported by a Marine Security Guard (MSG) Detachment, Assistant Regional Security Officers (ARSOs) and local security guards.
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| Date | Location | Details | Type of attack | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 July 1924 |  Tehran, Sublime State of Persia | An angry mob led by members of the Muslim clergy and including many members of the Iranian Army beat Consul Robert W. Imbrie to death. The mob blamed America for poisoning a well. [1] | mob | 1 |
| 24 May 1957 |  Taipei, Taiwan | Mob attack on embassy chancery (see May 24 Incident ) | none | |
| 27 January 1958 |  Ankara, Turkey | Bombing in embassy compound [2] | none | |
| 5 March 1964 |  Libreville, Gabon | Two weeks after a failed coup which the U.S. was mistakenly blamed for, a small bomb detonated outside the embassy compound, damaging a sign and cracking windows (see 1964 United States Embassy in Libreville bombings ) | bombing | none |
| 8 March 1964 | Libreville, Gabon | The second of two bomb attacks on the embassy in Gabon. The embassy was also fired on with a shotgun, causing minor damage. | bombing, shooting | none |
| 4 March 1965 |  Moscow, Soviet Union | Protests in front of the embassy related to the Vietnam War turned into rioting, approximately 2000 students had to be cleared away by the Red Army. [3] | mob | none |
| 30 March 1965 |  Saigon, South Vietnam | Viet Cong agents detonated a car-bomb outside the embassy. (Main article: 1965 Saigon bombing) | bombing | 2 Americans (1 CIA employee), 19 Vietnamese and one Filipino |
| 31 January 1968 | Saigon, South Vietnam | As part of the Tet Offensive, Viet Cong commandos forced their way onto the embassy grounds and surrounded the building until US reinforcements arrived. (Main article: Tet offensive attack on US Embassy) | armed assault | 5 US security 20 attackers |
| 26 September 1971 |  Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Attack on embassy softball game [4] | 1 Marine Security Guard 1 Army master sergeant 1 Young Cambodian girl | |
| 1972 |  Manila, Philippines | Attack by communist group, Marine guard wounded [4] | none | |
| 19 August 1974 |  Nicosia, Cyprus | Riot outside embassy; ambassador Rodger Davies and assistant shot by sniper | mob | 2 |
| 14 November 1974 |  Tokyo, Japan | Several Japanese youth attacked the embassy with Molotov cocktails, throwing them from a nearby hotel. Afterwards, five stormed the compound where they were arrested. Seven local guards were injured.[ citation needed ] | armed assault | none |
| 22 November 1974 | Fukuoka, Japan | Three men wearing red helmets from the Marxist Youth League broke windows and threw an explosive device at the Consulate. The men then attacked and injured a consulate employee.[ citation needed ] | armed assault | none |
| 4 August 1975 |  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Japanese Red Army gunmen stormed the AIA building, containing both the US and Swedish embassies, and took 53 hostages. (main article: 1975 AIA building hostage crisis) | armed assault, hostage crisis | none |
| 17 February 1976 |  Caracas, Venezuela | Gunmen in a car fire at the embassy causing minimal damage.[ citation needed ] | shooting | none |
| 1979 |  Tehran, Iran | Iran hostage crisis | armed assault, hostage crisis | |
| 21 November 1979 |  Islamabad, Pakistan | Riots break out in response to rumors that the US bombed Mecca during the Grand Mosque seizure (see 1979 U.S. Embassy Burning in Islamabad ) | mob | 2 US security 2 Pakistani personnel 2 attackers |
| 2 December 1979 |  Tripoli, Libya | Islamist riots destroy Embassy (see 1979 U.S. Embassy Burning in Libya ) | mob | none |
| 18 April 1983 |  Beirut, Lebanon | Islamic Jihad car bomb destroys Embassy (see April 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing) | bombing | 63 (of which 17 were Americans) |
| 12 December 1983 |  Kuwait City, Kuwait | al-Dawa truck bomb outside Embassy (see 1983 Kuwait bombings ) | bombing | 6 |
| 20 September 1984 | Beirut, Lebanon | Hezbollah car bomb outside embassy (see 1984 United States embassy annex bombing) | bombing | 24 |
| November 1984 |  Bogota, Colombia | Car bomb outside embassy planted by drug cartel [5] | bombing | 1 |
| February 1986 |  Lisbon, Portugal | Popular Forces of 25 April car bomb outside embassy [6] | bombing | none |
| 14 May 1986 |  Jakarta, Indonesia | Japanese Red Army members attempt a mortar attack; their mortar shells fail to detonate [7] | bombing | none |
| 9 June 1987 |  Rome, Italy | Car bomb set off, two rocket-propelled grenades fired at embassy [8] | bombing | none |
| 17 September 1989 | Bogota, Colombia | Homemade rocket fired at embassy by unknown assailant, no damage reported [9] | bombing | none |
| 27 July 1993 |  Lima, Peru | Car bomb planted by Shining Path, significant damage to embassy building [10] | bombing | none |
| 13 September 1995 |  Moscow, Russia | RPG fired on Embassy by unknown assailant [11] | bombing | none |
| 21 June 1998 | Beirut, Lebanon | RPGs fired at Embassy by Hezbollah [12] | bombing | none |
| 7 August 1998 |  Nairobi, Kenya | al-Qaeda simultaneously attacked both Embassies with truck bombs | bombing | 213, including 10 U.S. personnel and 2 US security |
 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | 11 | |||
| 19 September 1998 |  Monrovia, Liberia | Liberian security forces opened fire on a warlord speaking with U.S. officials at the embassy gate and subsequently laid siege to the building, killing or wounding more than 10 people. An Embassy staff member and a government contractor were among the wounded. | armed assault | 10 |
| 22 January 2002 |  Calcutta, India | Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami gunmen attacked American cultural centre, which included public affairs office of nearby Consulate (more details) | armed assault | 5 Indian security |
| 14 June 2002 | Karachi, Pakistan | al-Qaeda truck bomb detonated outside Consulate (more details) | bombing | 12 Pakistani civilians |
| 12 October 2002 | Denpasar, Indonesia | Consular Office bombed by Jemaah Islamiyah as part of the Bali bombings | bombing | none |
| 28 February 2003 | Karachi, Pakistan | Unknown gunmen attack Consulate (more details) | armed assault | 2 Pakistani security |
| 30 June 2004 |  Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan bombs Embassy | bombing | none |
| 6 December 2004 |  Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | al-Qaeda gunmen raid diplomatic compound [13] | armed assault | 5 Saudi personnel 4 attackers |
| 2 March 2006 | Karachi, Pakistan | Car bomb explodes outside Consulate, killing a diplomat (more details) | bombing | 1 US personnel 1 Pakistani personnel 1 Pakistani security 1 attacker |
| 12 September 2006 |  Damascus, Syria | Gunmen raid Embassy | armed assault | 1 Syrian security 3 attackers |
| 12 January 2007 |  Athens, Greece | RPG Fired at Embassy by Revolutionary Struggle | bombing | none |
| 14 April 2007 |  Casablanca, Morocco | Two suicide bombers detonated their explosive devices across the street from the consulate general and in front of the Consulate General’s public diplomacy facility and language center. Only the bombers were killed. | bombing | 2 attackers |
| 21 February 2008 |  Belgrade, Serbia | Rioters burn the building of the embassy. One rioter found dead. (more details) | mob | 1 attacker |
| 18 March 2008 |  Sana'a, Yemen | Mortar rounds missed embassy, hitting nearby school | bombing | 2 Yemeni civilians |
| 9 July 2008 | Istanbul, Turkey | Armed attack against Consulate ( more details) | armed assault | 3 Turkish security 3 attackers |
| 17 September 2008 | Sana'a, Yemen | A coordinated attack resulted in a 20-minute battle with security (more details) | armed assault | 6 Yemeni security 5 Yemeni civilians 1 US civilian 6 attackers |
| 30 October 2009 |  Managua, Nicaragua | Several hundred supporters from the Sandinista National Liberation Front protesting "U.S. interventionism" swarm the embassy compound, attacking personnel and vandalizing property for four hours.[ citation needed ] | mob | none |
| 5 April 2010 | Peshawar, Pakistan | An attack near the Consulate, killed two consulate security guards and at least six others (more details) | armed assault | 2 Pakistani personnel 1 Pakistani security 1 Pakistani civilian 4 attackers |
| 22 July 2010 |  Baghdad, Iraq | Unknown individuals fired a rocket that struck an embassy firing range, killing three embassy guards and injuring 15 fifteen others, including two Embassy contractors. | rocket attack | 3 |
| 25 September 2011 |  Kabul, Afghanistan | An Afghan employee opened fire inside an Embassy Annex compound, killing one American and wounding three others before being shot and killed. | armed assault | 1 American 1 attacker |
| 28 October 2011 |  Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina | A Wahhabi Islamist gunman, fired on the embassy, resulting in one local policeman guarding the embassy being wounded in the arm by the gunman, while the shooter was wounded by a police sniper. | armed assault | none |
| 11 September 2012 |  Cairo, Egypt | Protestors scaled the walls of the Consulate and replaced the US flag with an Islamist banner before being driven back by Egyptian security (more details) | mob | none |
 Benghazi, Libya | A group of terrorists storm the Consulate—killing the Ambassador, one staff member, and two security contractors (more details) | armed assault | 4 US personnel | |
| 14 September 2012 | Sana'a, Yemen | Protestors stormed the embassy and set fire to several vehicles before being driven back by Yemeni security (more details) | mob | 5 attackers |
 Tunis, Tunisia | Tunisian police fought back protestors who attacked the Embassy (more details) | mob | 2 attackers | |
| 1 February 2013 | Ankara, Turkey | A suicide bomber attacked the embassy, detonating himself inside a security entrance to the compound (more details) | bombing | 1 Turkish security 1 attacker |
| 25 June 2013 | Kabul, Afghanistan | Suicide insurgents initiated a failed assault on the embassy, engaging Afghan security forces and Local Guard Force personnel in a firefight. All perpetrators were killed. | armed assault | 8 insurgents 7 Afghan security |
| 13 September 2013 | Herat, Afghanistan | A group of 7 Taliban militants attacked the Consulate using truck bombs, assault rifles, and rocket-propelled grenades, killing 2 Afghan security guards and wounding 20 others (more details) | armed assault | 2 Afghan security |
| 28 September 2015 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Unidentified man threw two Molotov cocktails or similar improvised explosives over the wall of the Embassy | bombing | none |
| 21 February 2018 |  Podgorica, Montenegro | A pro-Russian and Serbian-born assailant threw a hand grenade over the wall of the embassy. Reporting indicated the grenade appeared to detonate as it was thrown into the air, and the man detonated a second device that killed him. The man's body was found 100 feet (30 m) from the embassy wall. | bombing | 1 attacker |
| 26 July 2018 |  Beijing, China | Unidentified 26-year-old man set off explosive device outside the embassy. [14] | bombing | none |
| 1 December 2018 |  Guadalajara, Mexico | Unidentified assailant threw a grenade at the consulate. [15] | bombing | none |
| 31 December 2019 | Baghdad, Iraq | 2019 attack on the United States embassy in Iraq | mob | |
| 27 March 2021 |  Yangon, Myanmar | Attack on the embassy in Yangon [16] | shooting | none |
| 1 December 2022 |  Madrid, Spain | Letter bomb sent to the embassy in Madrid [17] | Bombing | none |
| 8 December 2023 | Baghdad, Iraq | Approximately seven mortar rounds landed in the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad [18] | mortar attack | none |
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, commonly known as Diplomatic Security (DS), is the security branch of the United States Department of State. It conducts international investigations, threat analysis, cyber security, counterterrorism, and protection of people, property, and information. Its mission is to provide a safe and secure environment for officials to execute the foreign policy of the United States.
The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is the principal law enforcement and security agency of the United States Department of State (DOS). As the operational division of DOS Bureau of Diplomatic Security, its primary mission is to provide security to protect diplomatic assets, personnel, and information, and combat transnational crimes connected to visa and passport fraud. DSS also conducts counterterrorism, counterintelligence, cybersecurity and criminal investigations domestically and abroad.
A Marine Security Guard (MSG), also known as a Marine Embassy Guard, is a member of the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group, a brigade-sized organization of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) whose detachments provide security at American embassies, consulates, and other official U.S. government offices, such as the United States Mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium.
The Embassy of the United States of America in Baghdad is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America in the Republic of Iraq. Ambassador Alina Romanowski is currently the chief of mission.
A regional security officer (RSO) is a special agent of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) in charge of a regional security office. The RSO is the principal security attaché and advisor to the U.S. ambassador at American embassies and consulates. Working for the United States Department of State as special agents, RSOs are also considered to be officers of the State Department acting as specialists within the United States Foreign Service. The RSO is also the senior law enforcement representative at a U.S. Embassy.
Mobile Security Deployments (MSD) is a small specialized tactical unit within the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) of the United States Department of State. The MSD provides U.S. embassies and consulates with security support, protects the Secretary of State and other U.S. officials, including domestically as well as visiting foreign officials, and also provides security training at U.S embassies and consulates.
The Embassy of the United States in Athens is the embassy of the United States in Greece, in the capital city of Athens. The embassy is charged with diplomacy and Greece–United States relations. The United States Ambassador to Greece is the head of mission of the United States to Greece.
A Regional Security Office is the office at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate that oversees all functions of security. It is headed by a special agent of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) who has the title of Regional Security Officer (RSO).
The Award for Heroism is an award of the United States Department of State. It is presented to employees of State, USAID and Marine guards assigned to diplomatic and consular facilities in recognition of acts of courage or outstanding performance under unusually difficult or dangerous circumstances, whether or not in connection with the performance of assigned duties.
Diplomatic relations between Syria and the United States are currently non-existent; they were suspended in 2012 after the onset of the Syrian Civil War. Priority issues between the two states include the Arab–Israeli conflict, the Golan Heights annexation, Iraq War, alleged state-sponsorship of terrorism, occupation of Lebanon, etc.
The Embassy of the United States of America in Moscow is the diplomatic mission of the United States of America in the Russian Federation. The current embassy compound is in the Presnensky District of Moscow, across the street from the White House and near the Moscow Zoo.
The Consulate General of the United States in Karachi is located in the Sindh province in Pakistan and represents the interests of the United States government in Karachi, Pakistan, and nearby surrounding areas. It is the United States' largest Consulate General, and is larger, in terms of both personnel and facilities, than many U.S. Embassies. Technically a part of Mission Pakistan, and reporting through the Embassy of the United States in Islamabad.
The September 2011 Kabul attack occurred when Taliban fighters attacked multiple locations in Kabul, Afghanistan including the US Embassy and NATO headquarters, on 13 September 2011. The insurgents and at least seven others were killed and 15 were wounded. It was the first incident in the capital in which widely separated targets came under simultaneous attack. Elements within the Afghan and Pakistan governments were suspected of complicity in the attacks.
The Embassy of Sweden in Baghdad is Sweden's diplomatic mission in Iraq. The mission consists of an embassy, a number of Swedes from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and local staff. Ambassador since 2022 is Jessica Svärdström.
The Consulate General of the United States is a diplomatic mission of the United States in Peshawar, Pakistan. It operates under the U.S. embassy in Islamabad and serves U.S. consular interests in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. The current consul-general is William Martin, appointed in 2012.
The Embassy of the United States in Lisbon is the embassy of the United States in Portugal, in the capital city of Lisbon. It is located on Avenida das Forças Armadas.
On 23 November 2018, an armed assault on the Chinese consulate in Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan killed four people in an hour-long shootout. Those killed were two policemen, two Pakistani civilians and the three attackers. No Chinese nationals were injured or killed in the attack. The three attackers were also killed.
A series of demonstrations, marches, sit-ins and civil disobedience took place in Iraq from 2019 until 2021. It started on 1 October 2019, a date which was set by civil activists on social media, spreading mainly over the central and southern provinces of Iraq, to protest corruption, high unemployment, political sectarianism, inefficient public services and foreign interventionism. Protests spread quickly, coordinated over social media, to other provinces in Iraq. As the intensity of the demonstrations peaked in late October, protesters' anger focused not only on the desire for a complete overhaul of the Iraqi government but also on driving out Iranian influence, including Iranian-aligned Shia militias. The government, with the help of Iranian-backed militias responded brutally using live bullets, marksmen, hot water, hot pepper gas and tear gas against protesters, leading to many deaths and injuries.
The Special Program for Embassy Augmentation and Response (SPEAR) is an antiterrorism and policing force in select regions around the world, designed to respond to crises and threats to US diplomats as well as US embassies and diplomatic missions. Law enforcement personnel from host nations are chosen to be members of SPEAR and are trained by the Diplomatic Security Service's (DSS) Office of Antiterrorism and Assistance (ATA). SPEAR was established in 2014 in the aftermath of the 2012 Benghazi attack, in nations where the ability to protect high risk U.S personnel and property were weak. Since its inception, SPEAR personnel have by mid-2021 provided extra security for more than 500 diplomatic affairs.
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This article incorporates public domain material from Significant Attacks Against U.S. Diplomatic Facilities and Personnel, 1998-2003 (PDF). United States Government.