The 2002 Lima bombing was a car bomb attack in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of t ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

that occurred just outside the

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, killing nine people and injuring thirty-two. The blast came just three days prior to a visit to Peru from the United States President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

. No Americans were caught in the explosion. An estimated of explosives was used in the attack.

Attack

The bomb was planted at a mall four blocks from the American embassy. A seven-floor hotel and a branch of the

Banco de Crédito del Perú Banco de Crédito del Perú is the largest bank and the largest supplier of integrated financial services in Perú with approximately US$39 billion in total assets and a market share of 30.4% in total loans and 33.5% in total deposits. Operatio ...

bank were damaged, but the embassy compound itself, sitting behind a 20 ft high wall and distant from the street, received no apparent damage. Two embassy security guards and one police officer were among the dead. Peruvian President

Alejandro Toledo Alejandro Celestino Toledo Manrique (; born 28 March 1946) is a Peruvian politician who served President of Peru, from 2001 to 2006. He gained international prominence after leading the opposition against president Alberto Fujimori, who held t ...

said he will "not permit democracy to be undermined by terrorist attacks." The interior minister claimed that the attack will not stop Bush's scheduled visit to Lima to meet with Toledo and the leaders of Colombia,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

. 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."

Responsibility

The United States suspected that guerillas from the left-wing

Shining Path The Shining Path ( es, Sendero Luminoso), officially the Communist Party of Peru (, abbr. PCP), is a communist guerrilla group in Peru following Marxism–Leninism–Maoism and Gonzalo Thought. Academics often refer to the group as the Commu ...

terror group perpetrated the attack. International terrorists groups including

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

and

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army ( es, link=no, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaEjército del Pueblo, FARC–EP or FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian confl ...

(FARC) were also suspected. However the main suspicion lay on Shining Path. The group however never claimed responsibility, nor did the

Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement The Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement ( es, Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru, abbreviated MRTA) was a Peruvian Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group which started in the early 1980s. Their self-declared goal was to demonstrate to leftist g ...

(MRTA), another terrorist group in the terrorist war that happened in Peru. An analyst claimed the attack may have been motivated against Bush's

War on Terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...

. The MRTA previously bombed the United States embassy in Lima on January 15, 1990. It was bombed again on July 27, 1993, this time by Shining Path. Four people were wounded in this attack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lima bombing 2002 murders in Peru Improvised explosive device bombings in 2002 Attacks on diplomatic missions of the United States Car and truck bombings in South America Crime in Lima Internal conflict in Peru March 2002 events in South America Mass murder in 2002 Peru–United States relations Shopping mall bombings Terrorist incidents in Peru Terrorist incidents in Peru in the 2000s Terrorist incidents in South America in 2002

Attack

Responsibility

See also

References