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| 17 December 1983 Harrods bombing | |
|---|---|
| Location | Harrods, Knightsbridge, London, United Kingdom |
| Date | December 17 1983 13:30pm – (UTC+1) |
| Target | Christmas shoppers at Harrods |
| Attack type | car bomb |
| Deaths | 6 (3 police officers and 3 civilians) |
| Injured | 90 |
| Perpetrators | Provisional Irish Republican Army |
The Harrods Bombing occurred on December 17 1983. A warning of the bomb came when a man using an IRA code word telephoned the central London office of the Samaritans organisation at 12.44 pm. The caller said there were bombs inside and outside Harrods specifying the registration number of the car the device was in. Three police officers approached the car in an attempt to defuse the device. Unfortunately they did not have time to defuse it and six people (three officers and three civilians, including one citizen of the United States) were killed.
Details of the Bomb
The bomb contained between 25 and 30 lbs. of explosives. It was detonated by a timing device and not by remote control, as previously suspected. The device was left in a 1972 blue Austin 1300 GT four door saloon, with a black vinyl roof - which was subsequently blown onto the roof of a nearby five-story building.
A Second Bomb Warning
A second warning call was made to authorities at the time of the first explosion. They claimed a bomb had been placed in the heart of Oxford Street. It was said to be at the C&A store on the east side of the shopping street. Police tried to clear the area crowded with shoppers and cordoned it off but it was later found to be a false alarm.
See also
- Harrods
- Directory of the Northern Ireland Troubles
- Chronology of Provisional IRA Actions
- List of terrorist incidents (Worldwide)
- List of terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom
- List of London bombings
External links
- On this Day Report by the BBC
- Witness accounts of the event on the BBC
- News article on the incident by the Guardian