2009 Burgos bombing
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Burgos
bombing occurred on July 29, 2009, when at least 65 people were injured after a van bomb
carrying more than 300 kg of explosive went off outside a Civil Guard
barracks in the northern city of Burgos
, Spain
. The attack was blamed on Basque separatist
group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA)
. Several children were among the 65 wounded in the attack, which was targeted at Civil Guards, their family members and citizens, instead of only officers as ETA targets in most of its attacks.
Some days before the attack, Spanish police warned that the organization might be trying a series of van bomb attacks after they found information of three van
s being carried to Spain in a document seized from arrested members Asier Borrero, Itziar Plaza and Iurgi Garitagoitia a few weeks before the attack. Police now fear this might be the first of a series of attacks which the group is said to be planning this summer in Spain.
on the island of Majorca killed two civil guards, Carlos Sáenz de Tejada García, 28, and Diego Salva Lezaun, 26. The two attacks came few hours before the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the organization.
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
bombing occurred on July 29, 2009, when at least 65 people were injured after a van bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
carrying more than 300 kg of explosive went off outside a Civil Guard
Civil Guard (Spain)
The Civil Guard is the Spanish gendarmerie. It has foreign peace-keeping missions and maintains military status and is the equivalent of a federal military-status police force. As a police force, the Guardia Civil is comparable today to the French Gendarmerie, the Italian Carabinieri and the...
barracks in the northern city of Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The attack was blamed on Basque separatist
Basque nationalism
Basque nationalism is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or, chiefly, full independence of the Basque Country in the wider sense...
group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA)
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
. Several children were among the 65 wounded in the attack, which was targeted at Civil Guards, their family members and citizens, instead of only officers as ETA targets in most of its attacks.
Some days before the attack, Spanish police warned that the organization might be trying a series of van bomb attacks after they found information of three van
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
s being carried to Spain in a document seized from arrested members Asier Borrero, Itziar Plaza and Iurgi Garitagoitia a few weeks before the attack. Police now fear this might be the first of a series of attacks which the group is said to be planning this summer in Spain.
Occurrence
About 120 people, one-third of them children, were sleeping in the building when the bomb went off at around 4:00 am local time (0200 GMT), blowing off most of its facade. The blast also left a two-metre (six-foot) deep crater in the street outside the barracks and heavily damaged the 14 storey residential complex and other buildings in the area.Aftermath
The day after the bombing, a car bomb explosion2009 Palma Nova bombing
The 2009 Palma Nova bombing occurred on July 30, 2009 when a limpet bomb went off outside a Civil Guard barracks in the town of Palma Nova, Majorca, Spain. The bomb was placed under a patrol car and two Civil Guard officers died as a result of the explosion. A second device was found under another...
on the island of Majorca killed two civil guards, Carlos Sáenz de Tejada García, 28, and Diego Salva Lezaun, 26. The two attacks came few hours before the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the organization.