December 2009 Lahore attacks
Encyclopedia
December 2009 Lahore attacks were a series of two bomb blasts which occurred in a crowded market in Lahore
, Pakistan
on December 7, 2009. At least 54 people were killed & about 150 others wounded.
of Lahore's Allama Iqbal town
late in the night. One of the blasts was in front of a bank and the second one was in front of a police station. The two blasts which were within 30 seconds of each other resulted in a blaze which engulfed the shops in the market. The attack came at about 9 PM local time and struck a corner of the market where women were buying clothes. After the blasts the militants fired at the people fleeing the scene. Most of the victims were women. The second blast was near an electricity pole and caused a short circuit which is thought to have led to the fire.
. Federal Bureau of Investigation
also sent a team to the market and it collected samples of explosives and other evidence from the site.
Widespread conspiracy theories
circulated after the attacks that India and United States were behind the violence and government officials stoked this perception. However analyst Hassan Askari-Rizvi dismissing these theories stated that the idea that India may be behind the terror attacks is "a very widely shared perception, but there's hardly any evidence to substantiate that. They [the militants] have attacked civilians in the past. I think the government consciously creates that confusion."
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
on December 7, 2009. At least 54 people were killed & about 150 others wounded.
Attacks
The blasts took place in the Moon MarketMoon Market, Lahore
The Moon Market is a large, popular market area situated in the suburb of Allama Iqbal Town in Lahore, Pakistan. The market is home to hundreds of shops, food stalls, restaurants, recreational spaces, grocery and entertainment stores....
of Lahore's Allama Iqbal town
Iqbal Town, Lahore
Iqbal Town is a commercial and residential locality in the south-western Lahore. It is named after Allama Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan. Development was started in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was previously famed for its name in Urdu, 'Sola Soo Acre سولہ سو ایکڑ' , due to its area...
late in the night. One of the blasts was in front of a bank and the second one was in front of a police station. The two blasts which were within 30 seconds of each other resulted in a blaze which engulfed the shops in the market. The attack came at about 9 PM local time and struck a corner of the market where women were buying clothes. After the blasts the militants fired at the people fleeing the scene. Most of the victims were women. The second blast was near an electricity pole and caused a short circuit which is thought to have led to the fire.
Aftermath
After initial investigations Civil Defence District Officer Mazhar Ahmed stated that it appeared that both blasts were caused by suicide bombers. According to preliminary reports the bombers were about 18 years of age and from southern Punjab (Pakistan)Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
. Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
also sent a team to the market and it collected samples of explosives and other evidence from the site.
Widespread conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
circulated after the attacks that India and United States were behind the violence and government officials stoked this perception. However analyst Hassan Askari-Rizvi dismissing these theories stated that the idea that India may be behind the terror attacks is "a very widely shared perception, but there's hardly any evidence to substantiate that. They [the militants] have attacked civilians in the past. I think the government consciously creates that confusion."
External links
- Terrorists target market in Lahore, Dawn (newspaper)Dawn (newspaper)Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
- 20 injured in two explosions in Lahore