Attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities
The United States maintains numerous embassies and consulates around the world, many of which are in war-torn countries or other dangerous areas.
Diplomatic Security
The Regional Security Office is staffed by Special Agents of the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and is responsible for all security, protection, and law enforcement operations in the embassy or consulate. The Regional Security Officer (RSO) is the senior DSS Special Agent in country and is the principal adviser to the Chief of Mission (generally an Ambassador or Consul General) on all security, law-enforcement, and counter-terrorism issues for that country or region. The RSO is responsible for liaising with the host government's security and law enforcement officials. The RSO is supported by technical security specialists and a force of local guards.
Attacks on US diplomatic facilities
Date | Location | Details | Type of attack | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
18 July 1924 | Tehran, Sublime State of Persia | An angry mob of led by members of the Muslim clergy and including many members of the Iranian Army beat Robert W. Imbrie, United States Consul in Tehran, to death. The mob blamed America for poisoning a well.[1] | mob | 1 |
24 May 1957 | Taipei, Taiwan | Mob attack on embassy chancery (see May 24 Incident) | mob | |
27 January 1958 | Ankara, Turkey | Bombing in embassy compound[2] | none | |
January 31, 1968 | Saigon, Vietnam | As part of the Tet Offensive, Viet Cong commandos forced their way onto the US Embassy grounds and surrounded the building until US reinforcements arrived. | armed assault | 5 US security 20 attackers |
26 September 1971 | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Attack on embassy softball game[3] | 1 | |
1972 | Manila, Philippines | Attack by communist group, Marine guard wounded[3] | none | |
19 August 1974 | Nicosia, Cyprus | Riot outside embassy; ambassador and assistant shot by sniper | mob | 2 |
4 August 1975 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Japanese Red Army gunmen raid Embassy | none | |
1979 | Tehran, Iran | Iran hostage crisis | ||
21 November 1979 | Islamabad, Pakistan | Islamist riots destroy Embassy (see 1979 U.S. Embassy Burning in Islamabad) | mob | 2 US security 2 Pakistani personnel 2 attackers |
2 December 1979 | Tripoli, Libya | Islamist riots destroy Embassy (see 1979 U.S. Embassy Burning in Libya) | mob | none |
18 April 1983 | Beirut, Lebanon | Islamic Jihad car bomb destroys Embassy (see April 1983 U.S. Embassy bombing) | bombing | 63 (of which 17 were Americans) |
12 December 1983 | Kuwait City, Kuwait | al-Dawa truck bomb outside Embassy | bombing | 6 |
20 September 1984 | Beirut, Lebanon | Hezbollah car bomb outside embassy (see 1984 United States embassy annex bombing) | bombing | 24 |
November 1984 | Bogota, Colombia | Car bomb outside Embassy planted by drug cartel | bombing | 1 |
February 1986 | Lisbon, Portugal | Popular Forces of 25 April car bomb outside Embassy | bombing | none |
14 May 1986 | Jakarta, Indonesia | Japanese Red Army mortar barrage | bombing | none |
9 June 1987 | Rome, Italy | Japanese Red Army mortar barrage | bombing | none |
17 September 1989 | Bogota, Colombia | RPG fired on Embassy by unknown assailant | bombing | none |
27 July 1993 | Lima, Peru | Car bomb outside Embassy planted by Shining Path | bombing | none |
13 September 1995 | Moscow, Russia | RPG fired on Embassy by unknown assailant | bombing | none |
21 June 1998 | Beirut, Lebanon | RPGs fired at Embassy by Hezbollah an Iran-supported religious organization | bombing | none |
7 August 1998 | Nairobi, Kenya | al-Qaeda simultaneously attacked both Embassies with truck bombs (more details) | bombing | 213, including 10 US personnel and 2 US security |
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | 11 | |||
22 January 2002 | Calcutta, India | Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami gunmen attacked American cultural centre, which included public affairs office of nearby US Consulate (more details) | armed assault | 5 Indian security |
14 June 2002 | Karachi, Pakistan | al-Qaeda truck bomb detonated outside Consulate (more details) | bombing | 12 Pakistani civilians |
12 October 2002 | Denpasar, Indonesia | Consular Office bombed by Jemaah Islamiyah as part of the Bali bombings | bombing | none |
28 February 2003 | Karachi, Pakistan | Unknown gunmen attack US Consulate (more details) | armed assault | 2 Pakistani security |
30 June 2004 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan bombs US Embassy | bombing | none |
6 December 2004 | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | al-Qaeda gunmen raid diplomatic compound[4] | armed assault | 5 Saudi personnel 4 attackers |
2 March 2006 | Karachi, Pakistan | Car bomb explodes outside Consulate, killing a US diplomat (more details) | bombing | 1 US personnel 1 Pakistani personnel 1 Pakistani security 1 attacker |
12 September 2006 | Damascus, Syria | Gunmen raid US Embassy | armed assault | 1 Syrian security 3 attackers |
12 January 2007 | Athens, Greece | RPG Fired at Embassy by Revolutionary Struggle | bombing | none |
18 March 2008 | Sana'a, Yemen | Mortar rounds missed US Embassy, hitting nearby school | bombing | 2 Yemeni civilians |
9 July 2008 | Istanbul, Turkey | Armed attack against Consulate (more details) | armed assault | 3 Turkish security 3 attackers |
17 September 2008 | Sana'a, Yemen | A coordinated attack resulted in a 20-minute battle with security (more details) | armed assault | 6 Yemeni security 5 Yemeni civilians 1 US civilian 6 attackers |
5 April 2010 | Peshawar, Pakistan | An attack near the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, kills two consulate security guards and at least six others (more details) | armed assault | 2 Pakistani personnel 1 Pakistani security 1 Pakistani civilian 4 attackers |
28 October 2011 | Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina | A gunman, a Wahhabi Islamist, fired on the embassy on 28 October 2011, resulting in one local policeman guarding the embassy being wounded in the arm by the gunman, while the shooter was wounded by a police sniper. | armed assault | none |
11 September 2012 | Cairo, Egypt | Protestors scaled the walls of the Consulate and replaced the US flag with an Islamist banner before being driven back by Egyptian security (more details) | mob | none |
Benghazi, Libya | A group of terrorists storm the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya—killing the U.S. Ambassador, one staff member, and two security contractors (more details) | armed assault | 4 US personnel | |
14 September 2012 | Sana'a, Yemen | Protestors stormed the US Embassy and set fire to several vehicles before being driven back by Yemeni security (more details) | mob | 5 attackers |
Tunis, Tunisia | Tunisian police fought back protestors who attacked the US Embassy in Tunis (more details) | mob | 2 attackers | |
1 February 2013 | Ankara, Turkey | A suicide bomber attacked the US Embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Friday, detonating himself inside a security entrance to the compound (more details) | bombing | 1 Turkish security 1 attacker |
13 September 2013 | Herat, Afghanistan | A group of 7 Taliban militants attacked the US Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan using truck bombs, assault rifles, and rocket-propelled grenades, killing 2 Afghan security guards and wounding 20 others (more details) | armed assault | 2 Afghan security |
28 September 2015 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | Unidentified man threw two molotov cocktails or similar improvised explosives over the wall of the US Embassy Tashkent | Hit and Run | None |
See also
- American diplomatic missions
- United States Department of State
- List of attacks on diplomatic missions
- List of assassinations and acts of terrorism against Americans
References
- ↑ Zirinsky, Michael (August 1986). "Blood, Power, and Hypocrisy: The Murder of Robert Imbrie and American Relations with Pahlavi Iran, 1924". International Journal of Middle East Studies. Cambridge University Press. 18 (3): 275–292. doi:10.1017/S0020743800030488. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
- ↑ Video: Baghdad pact. Unified Military Command Seen, 1958/01/30 (1958) (B&W video). Universal Newsreel. 1958. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
- ↑ Sturcke, James (December 7, 2004). "Nine killed as US consulate in Jeddah attacked". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
- US Department of State – Political Violence Against Americans, 1987–2002 and 2008