| 2002 Lima bombing | |
|---|---|
CCTV footage of the attack | |
| Location | Santiago de Surco,Lima,Peru |
| Date | March 20, 2002 10:45 pm |
| Target | United States embassy (suspected) |
Attack type | Bombing |
| Weapons | Car bomb |
| Deaths | 9 |
| Injured | 32 |
| Perpetrators | Unknown |
The2002 Lima bombing was acar bomb attack inLima,Peru that occurred at El Polo Shopping Centre, just outside theembassy of theUnited States, killing nine people and injuring thirty-two. The blast came just three days prior to a visit to Peru from the United States PresidentGeorge W. Bush. No Americans were caught in the explosion. An estimated 30 kilograms (66 lb) of explosives was used in the attack.[1]
The bomb was planted at a mall four blocks from the American embassy. A seven-floor hotel and a branch of theBanco de Crédito del Perú bank were damaged, but the embassy compound itself, sitting behind a 20 ft high wall and distant from the street, received no apparent damage.[1] Nine people died in the attack, including two embassy security guards and one police officer.[2] They were later identified as follows:[3]
Peruvian PresidentAlejandro Toledo said he will "not permit democracy to be undermined by terrorist attacks." The interior minister claimed that the attack would not stop Bush's scheduled visit to Lima to meet with Toledo and the leaders ofColombia,Bolivia andEcuador. A statement from the U.S. embassy said "We condemn the barbaric terrorist bombing this evening in the vicinity of our embassy in Lima." Minutes before leaving for Peru, Bush apparently said "You bet I'm going."[4]
The United States suspected that guerillas from the left-wingShining Path terror group perpetrated the attack.[5] International terrorists groups includingAl-Qaeda andRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) were also suspected.[6] Despite the main suspicion laying on Shining Path, the group never claimed responsibility, nor did theTúpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA), another active left-wing terrorist group during the period. An analyst claimed the attack may have been motivated against Bush'sWar on Terror.[7]
The MRTA previously bombed the United States embassy in Lima on January 15, 1990.[8] It was bombed again on July 27, 1993, this time by Shining Path. Four people were wounded in this attack.[9]
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