Israeli Embassy Attack in London
Encyclopedia
The Attack on the embassy of Israel in London was an attack on the Israeli embassy building in London
on July 26, 1994, that injured 20 civilians.
, a car bomb
exploded outside the Israeli embassy in London, injuring 20 people. The car was packed with 20 to 30 pounds of explosives, and blew up minutes after the driver left it.
ian extremists, allegedly linked to Hezbollah. Thirteen hours later a similar car bomb exploded outside Balfour House, the headquarters in London of the main Zionist organisations, injuring six.
Five Palestinians were arrested in London in January 1995 in connection with both bombings. In December 1996, two of them, both Palestinian science graduates who were educated in the UK, Jawad Botmeh and Samar Alami
, were found guilty of "conspiracy to cause explosions" at the Old Bailey
. They were sentenced to 20 years in jail, and lost their appeal in 2001. Nobody has been convicted for the actual bombings.
Botmeh was released from prison on 5 August 2008.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on July 26, 1994, that injured 20 civilians.
The attack
On 26 July 1994, eight days after the AMIA bombing in ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, a car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
exploded outside the Israeli embassy in London, injuring 20 people. The car was packed with 20 to 30 pounds of explosives, and blew up minutes after the driver left it.
Aftermath
The Israeli Ambassador and British intelligence experts blamed pro-IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian extremists, allegedly linked to Hezbollah. Thirteen hours later a similar car bomb exploded outside Balfour House, the headquarters in London of the main Zionist organisations, injuring six.
Five Palestinians were arrested in London in January 1995 in connection with both bombings. In December 1996, two of them, both Palestinian science graduates who were educated in the UK, Jawad Botmeh and Samar Alami
Samar Alami
Samar Alami, a Lebanese-Palestinian woman, and daughter of a banker, was convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions, in a case arising from the 1994 Attack on the embassy of Israel in London -Education:...
, were found guilty of "conspiracy to cause explosions" at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
. They were sentenced to 20 years in jail, and lost their appeal in 2001. Nobody has been convicted for the actual bombings.
Botmeh was released from prison on 5 August 2008.
External links
- Israel's London embassy bombed – Report on the incident by the BBC