2005-2006 Terror Events
1st London bombings
On 7 July 2005, (7/7) in London, four muslim men, motivated by Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War, carried out 3 suicide attacks on the underground trains & one on the double decker bus during the morning rush hour. Result – 52 dead and 700 injured.
2nd London bombings
On 21 July 2005, 5 unsuccessful bombing attacks took place. Four terrorists & the conspirators were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Egypt attacks
On July 23 2005, Egypt’s Revolution Day, there were series of terror attacks on Egypt’s tourism capital, the city of Sharm el- Sheikh. Severe financial losses were incurred, 88 people were killed & over 200 wounded.
The Bedouin community was blamed and some were arrested for aiding the attack. Egypt erected a separation barrier around the city, cutting it off from the nearby Bedouin community.
2nd Bali bombings
On 1 Oct 2005 in South Bali, Indonesia there were a series of attacks by 3 suicide bombers & car bombs. 26 people dead and 102 tourists wounded.
1st Delhi bombings
On 29 October 2005, during Diwali festival, 3 explosions took place in Delhis crowded markets and 1 in a public transport bus leaving.66 dead and 220 injured. Investigations revealed Kashmir separatist/ Islamic Terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba to be responsible for the attacks.
Amman bombings
On 9 November, 2005 in Amman, Jordan there were a series of coordinated bomb attacks at 20:50 local time, on three hotels – the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the Radisson SAS Hotel and the Days Inn which are often frequented by foreign diplomats. The bomb at the Radisson SAS exploded in the Philadelphia Ballroom, where a wedding hosting hundreds of guests was taking place.
2006 Varanasi bombings
On 7 Mar 2006 in Varanasi (Hindu Holy city), India there were series of bombings leaving 28 dead & 101 injured. The Blasts took place at the Hanuman Temple, the Varanasi Cantonment Railway Station and inside the stationary train.
The terrorist (of Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit responsible for the bombings) was shot dead in an encounter with police near Lucknow on Wednesday. The bombs were made in Bihar, with materials from Nepal which were smuggled across the Indo-Nepal border.
Lashkar – kahar / Qahab terrorist group claimed responsibility for the blasts and threatened similar attacks in other cities unless the government stopped its “catch and kill” campaign in Jammu and Kashmir.
2006 Mumbai train bombings
On 11 July 2006, there were 7 bomb explosions over a period of 11 minutes on the Suburban Railway in Mumbai, nation’s financial capital, capital city of Maharashtra (Indian state). The bombs were set off in pressure cookers on trains plying on the western line of the Suburban Railway network. 209 people dead, over 700 were injured. Lashkar-e-Toiba and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) are responsible for the bombings, stated Mumbai Police.
2.5 kg of RDX along with Ammonium Nitrate, kept in pressure cookers were placed in the first-class, general class as well as ladies compartments of the western local train network. The explosions continued for 11 minutes, until 18:35, during the after- work rush hour in Matunga Road, Mahim, Bandra, Khar Road, Jogeshwari, Bhayandar & Borivali. The bomb attacks in Mumbai came hours after a series of grenade attacks in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.
On 27 February 2009, Indian Mujahideen leader Sadiq Sheikh who engineered the pressure cooker bombs with his associates in a flat in central Mumbai, was arrested. This could invalidate the claims of the ATS that the ISI or SIMI were involved.
Transatlantic aircraft plot
The 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives carried on board at least 10 airliners travelling from the UK to USA and Canada. The UK Police discovered the plot & foiled it before it could be carried out and unprecedented security measures were immediately put in place. The restrictions were gradually relaxed in the following weeks, but the ability of passengers to carry liquids onto commercial aircraft is still limited.
Toronto Terrorism plot
The 2006 Toronto terrorism case refers to a series of counter terrorism raids in Greater Toronto on June 2, 2006, 18 people (“Toronto 18”) were arrested who were members of an Islamic terrorist cell, planning to detonate truck bombs, to open fire in crowded areas and to storm the Canadian Broadcasting Centre, Parliament building, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) HQ and Parliamentary Peace Tower, to take hostages and to behead the Prime Minister. One man has been convicted, four more have pleaded guilty, and the group’s leader has been sentenced to life in prison.
