1985 Copenhagen bombings

On 22 July 1985, two bombs exploded in Copenhagen. One near the Great Synagogue and the other at the offices of Northwest Orient Airlines, an American corporation. One person was killed and 26 injured in the attacks.

Bombings

The Great Synagogue of Copenhagen, the oldest synagogue in Scandinavia, and the neighboring Meyers Minne Nursing Home were damaged by two exploding bombs.[1][2][3] The offices of Northwest Orient Airlines, then the sole American airline with offices in Copenhagen, were "gutted."[2] The explosions took place "within Minutes" of one another.[2] In addition, several un-exploded bombs were located by the police.[2] One of the un-exploded bombs was found in a Northwest Orient flight bag pulled from the harbour at Nyhavn, Another suspected bomb was found in a courtyard of Christiansborg Palace, where the Danish Parliament meets.[2]

Poul Schlüter, Prime Minister of Denmark, expressed, "sorrow that we now experience that Denmark too is hit by terrorist activity." Saying, "We have escaped for many years, while unscrupulous men and organizations have spread death and destruction in other European countries."[2]

Responsibility

Lebanon-based Islamic Jihad Organization (alt. translation: "Islamic Holy War")[1] phoned the Beirut offices of the Associated Press to claim responsibility for the attacks, stating that Denmark had been targeted because it had not been struck in previous attacks.[2] However, this claim could not be verified.[2] Some experts attribute attacks to the PFLP-GC, a Palestinian nationalist militant organisation whose member was arrested in Sweden.[4]

American Jewish author Matthew Levitt describes the bombings as part of a "Hezbollah campaign to expand its activities worldwide", the organization announced that violent attacks would henceforth be aimed at, "every Zionist, American or reactionary establishment in various parts of the world."[5][6]

Trials

Three Palestinians were tried (Abu Talb, Marten Imandi and another), of whom the latter two were convicted by a Swedish court for the terrorist attacks.[7][8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "27 Injured in Copenhagen Mideast Terrorist Blasts". New York Times. Reuters. 23 July 1985. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "27 Injured in 3 Terrorist Explosions in Copenhagen". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 22 July 1985. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Number of Terrorist Attacks in 1985 Up Sharply; Hijackings Alone Leave 62 Dead". Los Angeles Times. United Press International. 28 December 1985. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  4. ↑ Alexander, Yonah (2003). The United Kingdom's Legal Responses to Terrorism, Psychology Press, p. 509.
  5. ↑ Levitt, Matthew (2015). Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God. Georgetown University Press. p. 59. ISBN 1626162018.
  6. ↑ "Synagogue and Airline Office in Copenhagen Hit by Terrorist Bombs". JTA. 23 July 1985. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  7. ↑ "27 Injured in 3 Terrorist Explosions in Copenhagen". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 22 July 1985. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "30 års fængsel for terror i København". TV 2 (in Danish). Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå. 16 April 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
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