The Imam Ali mosque bombing was the detonation of two

car bombs A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...

outside the

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Imam Ali Shrine The Sanctuary of Imām 'Alī (), also known as the Mosque of 'Alī (), located in Najaf, Iraq, is a mausoleum which Shia and Sunni Muslims believe contains the tomb of 'Alī ibn Abī Tālib, a cousin, son-in-law and companion of the Islamic Pro ...

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

on 29 August 2003. The attack killed 95 people crowded around the

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

for Friday prayers, including

Ayatollah Ayatollah (, ; ; ) is an Title of honor, honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy. It came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most di ...

Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim Ayatollah al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Muhsin al-Hakim at-Tabataba'i (8 July 1939 – 29 August 2003; ), also known as Shaheed al-Mehraab, was a senior Iraqi Shia Islamic Scholar and the leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq ...

, spiritual leader of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. The attack was devastating for the Shia community in Iraq, because such a revered cleric was killed as well as over 90 other people. The bombing was the deadliest attack in Iraq in 2003. In response to the attack, thousands of Shia mourners marched in the streets of cities and towns across Iraq. The mourners, many of whom blamed

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

's loyalists for the attack, held anti-

Ba'athist Ba'athism, also spelled Baathism, is an Arab nationalist ideology which advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state through the rule of a Ba'athist vanguard party operating under a revolutionary socialist framework. The ideology ...

protests. Saddam himself released a taped audio message in which he denied having any involvement.

Perpetrators

U.S. and Iraqi officials accused

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (; , "Father of Musab, of Zarqa"; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel Nazal al-Khalayleh (), was a Jordanian militant jihadist who ran a training camp in Afghanistan. He became known after going to Iraq a ...

of orchestrating Muhammad Baqir's assassination. They claimed that Yassin Jarad, Zarqawi's father-in-law, was the suicide bomber who detonated the bomb. The US Department of Defense condemned the August 29, 2003 bombing at the Imam Ali Mosque in Al Najaf, Iraq. They offered their condolences to the victims and their families and expressed their commitment to working with the Iraqi people to build a better future.

References

External links

Imam Ali Mosque, Najaf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Imam Ali Mosque 2003 murders in Iraq Bombings in the Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) Car and truck bombings in 2003 Mass murder in 2003 Car and truck bombings in Iraq Islamic terrorism in Iraq Islamic terrorist incidents in 2003 Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2003 Attacks on Shiite mosques in the Iraq War August 2003 in Iraq Mosque bombings by Islamists Mosque bombings in Iraq Imam Ali Mosque Najaf in the Iraq War 2003 building bombings 21st-century attacks on mosques 2003 in Iraq Explosions in 2003 August 2003 in Asia Building bombings in Iraq