The 2008 Danish embassy bombing was an attack on the Danish embassy in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

, Pakistan on 2 June 2008. The suspected suicide car bombing in the parking lot of the embassy took place at around 12:10 pm ( UTC+5), killing at least six and wounding many more. The Danish

national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military att ...

intelligence agency An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objectives. Means of inf ...

PET A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence ...

concluded that

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

was behind the attack.

Jyllands-Posten ''Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten'' (; English: ''The Morning Newspaper "The Jutland Post"''), commonly shortened to ''Jyllands-Posten'' or ''JP'', is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Aarhus C, Jutland, and with a weekday circula ...

PET: Al Qaida står bag
– Retrieved on 2008-06-07 Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack on 5 June 2008. The attack was confirmed to be an answer to the reprinting of Danish newspaper

Muhammed cartoons The ''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons controversy (or Muhammad cartoons crisis, da, Muhammedkrisen) began after the Danish newspaper ''Jyllands-Posten'' published 12 editorial cartoons on 30 September 2005, most of which depicted Muhamma ...

in February 2006, as well as the presence of Danish troops in Afghanistan.Al-Qaida claims it attacked Denmark Embassy
''MSNBC'' 2 June 2008 Link accessed 02/06/08

Details

The attack

Around 12:10 pm on 2 June 2008, a stolen

Toyota Corolla The is a series of compact cars (formerly subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in ...

Nyhedsavisen
Bombebil var en stjålen Toyota Corolla
– Retrieved on 2008-06-07 with a man at the wheel arrived at high speed, passing in front of the entrance of the Danish embassy, then stopping at the parking lot in front of the complex. Seconds later a suicide car bomb detonated, killing at least six and wounding several others. The events leading up to the explosion and the explosion itself was captured on tape by the embassy's video surveillance cameras, which was gathered by the PET and then handed over to Pakistani authorities as part of their criminal enquiry.Yahoo! News
Danish team in Pakistan after embassy blast: ministry
– Retrieved on 2008-06-05 The car used to bomb the embassy was able to get past heightened security because it had diplomatic registration plates."Embassy bombed in Pakistan"
''bbc.co.uk'' 2 June Link accessed 02/06/08 (Video) The blast left a large crater in front of the building, as well as significant structural damage. A cloud of black

smoke Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-produc ...

was reported to be visible across the city of Islamabad. A Pakistani Development Organisation building took the brunt of the blast as well as the Danish embassy. Other offices and residential building also were damaged by the car bomb. The residences of the Dutch ambassador and the Australian defense attache, located near the Danish embassy, were damaged in the blast, but none of their staff were reported injured."Blast rocks Danish embassy in Pakistan"
''theglobeandmail.com'' 2 June 2008 Link accessed 02/06.08 The blast also shattered the windowpanes of the nearby "India House", which houses India's ambassador to Pakistan. There is speculation about the composition of the bomb. Some sources states that 25 kg of explosives were used, while others states that a combination of

fertiliser A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

s and

diesel fuel Diesel fuel , also called diesel oil, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a result of compression of the inlet air and ...

, boosted with 5 kg of explosives were used.

Ekspert: Ambassadebombe var gødning
– Retrieved on 2008-06-07 The Danish government received the news of the attack at 9 o'clock in the morning, and the Danish

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

Per Stig Møller Per Stig Møller (, informal: Per Stig; born 27 August 1942 in Frederiksberg) is a Danish politician. He was a member of the Folketing (Danish national parliament) for the Conservative People's Party from 1984 until 2015, and was Minister for ...

immediately condemned the attack on the strongest possible terms, and the Danish cabinet was subsequently called in for an emergency session.

Per Stig fordømmer attentat
– Retrieved on 2008-06-02 Later in the afternoon the Danish Prime Minister

Anders Fogh Rasmussen Anders Fogh Rasmussen (; born 26 January 1953) is a Danish politician who was the 24th Prime Minister of Denmark from November 2001 to April 2009 and the 12th Secretary General of NATO from August 2009 to October 2014. He became CEO of polit ...

followed suit and condemned the attack as well. The Norwegian and Swedish embassies were completely evacuated as a safety precaution, and Danish citizens have been advised against all travel to Pakistan, and if already in the country, to be very careful.

Fatalities

At least six people were killed and 24 wounded. According to the

chargé d'affaires A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassado ...

of the embassy in Islamabad, Michael Hjortsø, none of those killed were Danish employees of the embassy, though two victims were reported to be locals employed at the embassy, and the Danish foreign ministry announced that one victim was a Danish citizen of Pakistani origin not working at the embassy. Damage was also reported at the residence of the Indian High Commissioner. A security guard at a nearby

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

building was among those killed. UN Press Release
Secretary-General strongly condemns islamabad car bombing
– Retrieved on 2008-06-02 Six of the wounded were UNDP employees.

FN fordømmer Islamabad-bombe
– Retrieved on 2008-06-02

Threats

Prior to the explosion, the Danish Embassy had received several threats, the last as late as a month before the attack, Pakistani media reported on tribal people who threatened to travel to the Pakistani capital of Islamabad to blow up the Danish embassy there. One and a half-month before the attack, Al-Qaeda's then-deputy,

Ayman al-Zawahiri Ayman Mohammed Rabie al-Zawahiri (June 19, 1951 – July 31, 2022) was an Egyptian-born terrorist and physician who served as the second emir of al-Qaeda from June 16, 2011, until his death. Al-Zawahiri graduated from Cairo University with a ...

, urged Muslims to strike against Danish targets in an interview published by

As-Sahab As-Sahab Media (Arabic: السحاب, "The Cloud") is the official media wing of Al-Qaeda’s core leadership based in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It produces media featuring original sermons and speeches by senior Al-Qaeda commanders as well as f ...

. In the interview, published 17 April 2008 al-Zawahiri asked why he in 2003 threatened Norway, Denmark and other countries for their support for the United States and the fight against terrorism, saying: "We have threatened Norway and all other countries participating in the war against the Muslims, as part of the defence of our ideology, nation, ourselves and our sacred riter, the al-Zawahiri and continues: "Denmark has done its utmost to demonstrate its hostility against Muslims by repeatedly dishonoring the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him salvation. I exhort and encourage any Muslim who has the opportunity, to harm Denmark to thereby show your support for our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him salvation, and defend his esteemed honor."

Angreb kommer kort efter al-Qaeda-trussel
– Retrieved on 2008-07-02 Denmark had downgraded the embassy threat in response to perceived security threats, as well as other embassies in the Islamic world.

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...

Blast outside Danish embassy in Pak, 8 killed
– Retrieved on 2008-06-02

The perpetrators

The Danish national security intelligence agency

concluded that the terrorist organisation

Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

was behind the attack. The possibility of either direct

Al-Qaida Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countri ...

involvement or

inspired groups is high, due to the fact that the terrorist attack against the Danish embassy came a month and a half after Al-Qaeda's then-deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, urged Muslims to strike against Danish targets in the interview published by As-Sahab on 17 April 2008. According to statements from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "There are signs that as a result of the current events there is a sharpened focus on Denmark also among the leading militant extremists abroad, and that such environments have a desire to carry out terrorist acts against Denmark, as well as against the Danes and Danish interests abroad. This is especially true in areas where

-related groups are active".

Aftenposten ( in the masthead; ; Norwegian for "The Evening Post") is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen) and estimated 1.2 milli ...

Karikaturhevn, tror dansk UD
– Retrieved on 2008-06-02 According to sources close to the Danish government and PET, the main suspects behind the attack were, until the proclamation made by

, the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

Taleban er nu hovedmistænkt
– Retrieved on 2008-06-03 However, the Taliban denied having any role in the attack.Norwegian State TV NRK1
"Dagsrevyen" News rapport June 3, 2008
– Retrieved on 2008-06-07 If they had been those responsible for the attack, that would have made the second terrorist attack carried out by Taliban targeting Scandinavians; the first being the attack on Serena Hotel in Kabul on 14 January, where a Norwegian delegation under Minister of Foreign Affairs

Jonas Gahr Støre Jonas Gahr Støre (; born 25 August 1960) is a Norwegian politician who has served as the prime minister of Norway since 2021 and has been Leader of the Labour Party since 2014. He served under Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as Minister of For ...

, which resided at the time of the attack, was allegedly the target. Nevertheless, this is the second terrorist attack where Scandinavians had been the target. On 5 June, an online posting attributed to Mustafa Abu al-Yazid on a jihadist website claimed that

planned the attack. Al Qaeda's chief of operations for Pakistan,

Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam Fahid Mohammed Ally Msalam ( ar, فهد محمد علي مسالم, also known as Usama al-Kini) (February 19, 1976 – January 1, 2009) was a Kenyan terrorist conspirator, wanted in the United States

was believed to have masterminded the attack. He was killed in a drone strike along with his lieutenant,

Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan (April 9, 1960/69 – January 1, 2009) was a fugitive wantedCo ...

, on 1 January 2009. Three men charged in the attack were acquitted in a Pakistani court on 25 Sep 2010.AFP: Pakistani court acquits Danish embassy bombing suspects
/ref>

International reactions

Countries

International organisations

References

External links

Danish embassy in Islamabad

Photo galleries

VG: Photo Gallery: Terrorist Attack in Islamabad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danish Embassy Bombing, 2008 2008 murders in Pakistan 21st-century mass murder in Pakistan Denmark–Pakistan relations Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy Danish embassy bombing Danish Islamabad embassy Suicide car and truck bombings in Pakistan 2008 in international relations Danish embassy bombing

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

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