2003 bombing of Jordanian embassy in Baghdad

On 7 August 2003, a bomb exploded outside the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, killing 17 people and injuring dozens more.[1] The bomb, concealed in a minibus, exploded outside the walls of the embassy compound at around 11:00am local time. The force of the explosion sent a car onto a nearby rooftop and killed several people nearby including women and children. Six police officers guarding the embassy were among the dead. Immediately after the blast, the embassy compound was swarmed by a mob of Iraqis who ransacked the building, chanting anti-Jordanian slogans and burning portraits of King Abdullah II. According to Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of US forces in Iraq, the attack was the worst in Iraq since the capture of Baghdad that previous March.[2][3]

Jordanian embassy bombing in Baghdad
Area surrounding the Jordanian embassy after the bombings. Burnt out cars and debris are visible.
Jordanian embassy after the bombings
LocationBaghdad, Iraq
DateAugust 7, 2003
TargetEmbassy of Jordan
Attack type
Bus bombing
WeaponsImprovised explosive device
Deaths17
Injured40
PerpetratorsUnknown (suspected Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad)

Perpetrators

No group claimed the attack. A team of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation was dispatched to Iraq shortly after to investigate the bombing. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian insurgent leader, was the prime suspect in the investigation. The attack came a week after Jordan granted asylum to the daughters of Saddam Hussein, a move which angered numerous Iraqis.[4]

References
  1. "Jordan embassy blast inquiry". 2003-08-08. Archived from the original on 2003-10-11. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  2. Wilson, Jamie (2003-08-08). "Jordanian embassy blast kills 11 in Baghdad". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  3. "Jordan embassy blast inquiry". BBC News. 2003-08-08. Archived from the original on 2003-10-11. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  4. Boettcher, Mike (2003-08-08). "Sources: Al Qaeda-linked Jordanian eyed in bombing - Aug. 8, 2003". CNN.com. Archived from the original on 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-01-23.

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