1994 London Israeli Embassy attack
| Attack on the Israeli embassy in London | |
|---|---|
 Israeli embassy in London | |
 The attack site | |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°30′10.44″N 0°11′20.76″W / 51.5029000°N 0.1891000°W |
| Date | 26 July 1994 |
| Target | Israeli embassy |
Attack type | car bomb |
Non-fatal injuries | 20 |
Suspected perpetrators | pro-Iranian extremists, allegedly linked to Hezbollah |
The 1994 London Israeli Embassy attack was a car bomb attack on 26 July 1994 against the Israeli embassy building in London. 20 civilians were injured.
The attack
A car packed with 20 to 30 pounds of explosives parked in front of the embassy blew up minutes after the driver left it. The blast, which caused widespread damage, was heard over a mile away. Apart from damage to the embassy building, shop windows were blown out. The attack took place one day after King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin met in Washington to discuss a Jordan-Israel peace treaty.[1]
Aftermath
The Israeli Ambassador and British intelligence experts blamed pro-Iranian extremists, allegedly linked to Hezbollah. Thirteen hours later another car bomb exploded outside Balfour House, which at the time was the London headquarters of one of the largest Jewish charities, The United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA), injuring six.[2]
Five Palestinians were arrested in London in January 1995 in connection with the bombings. In December 1996, two of them, both Palestinian science graduates 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.
Botmeh was released from prison on 5 August 2008.
