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Revision as of 23:25, 1 February 2007 by Weggie (talk | contribs) (tag removed after suitable refs added)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Harrods bombing | |
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| Location | Harrods, Knightsbridge, London, United Kingdom |
| Date | December 17 1983 13:30pm – (UTC+1) |
| Target | Harrods Department Store |
| 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 but did not succeed. 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 by the IRA to authorities at the time of the first explosion. It was claimed a bomb had been placed in the heart of Oxford Street. The bomb was pinpointed by the caller to the C&A store on the east side of Oxford Street. Police tried to clear the area crowded with shoppers and cordoned it off but this claim was later found to be false.
References
- ^ Bomb unauthorised says IRA The Guardian 19 December 1983
- Sutton Index of Deaths CAIN Web Service (Conflict Archive on the INternet)
- Northern Ireland: Thatcher letter to Reagan (outrage at Harrods IRA bomb) Margaret Thatcher Foundation website
- On this Day BBC Report BBC website
External links
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