The 2009 Lahore bombing, at police headquarters in Lahore, Pakistan on 27 May 2009, killed at least 35 people and injured 250. During the attack gunmen fired on guards then destroyed the emergency response building at the city's police headquarters. Offices used by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency nearby also suffered damage.[2]
| 2009 Lahore bombing | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lahore, Pakistan |
| Date | 27 May 2009 |
Attack type | Car bombing, shooting |
| Deaths | 35 |
| Injured | 250[1] |
Pakistani accounts from the time of the attack say the three attackers who died in the attack were unidentified.[3] Two of the attackers emerged from the Toyota van used in the attack, and fired on security officials. The driver was not able to breach the boundary of security pylons, before he detonated the bomb. Some eyewitnesses claimed additional terrorists providing cover fire.
Attribution
editAuthorities immediately blamed Taliban for this attack.[2] Taliban later took the responsibility for the attack, calling it a retaliatory step for Pakistan's military operations against Taliban in the Swat valley.[4][5] The caller Hakimullah Mehsud, deputy to Baitullah Mehsud, threatened of more attacks on government facilities in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Multan, asking people to leave those cities.[5] Another group, Tekreek-e-Taliban Punjab, also claimed credit for the attack.[6]
In the fall a jihadist named Ali Jaleel, from the Maldive Islands was identified as one of the bombers.[7][8]
References
edit- ^ "Blast rocks Lahore; 35 dead, 250 injured". The Times of India. 27 May 2009.
- ^ a b Huge blast rocks Pakistani city, BBC, 2009-05-27
- ^ Asif Chaudhry (28 May 2009). "Terrorists attack Lahore ISI office". Pakistan: The Nation. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010.
- ^ "Pakistani Taliban claim bombing". BBC. 28 May 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
- ^ a b Khan, Ismail; Masood, Salman (28 May 2009). "Several Blasts in Pakistan After Taliban Warning". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
- ^ Pakistani Taliban claims Lahore attack. The Hindu. 29 May 2009
- ^ Animesh Roul (12 February 2010). "Jihad and Islamism in the Maldive Islands". Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ Jeffrey Salim Waheed. "How Extremism Began in Maldives". Archived from the original on 24 July 2010.