West Berlin discotheque bombing
On 5 April 1986 three people were killed and around 230 injured when La Belle discothèque was bombed in West Berlin, West Germany. The entertainment venue was commonly used by United States soldiers, and two of the dead and 79 of the injured were American servicemen.
A bomb placed under a table near the disk jockey's booth exploded at 1:45 am CET instantly killing a Turkish woman, and a United States Army sergeant. A second US Army sergeant died from his injuries two months later. Some of the victims were left permanently disabled due to the injuries.[1]
Libya was accused by the US government of sponsoring the bombing, and US President Ronald Reagan ordered strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi in Libya ten days later. The strikes reportedly killed 15-30 people, including Colonel Gaddafi's adopted daughter. Reagan's actions were condemned by the United Nations General Assembly.[1]
A 2001 trial in the US found that the bombing had been "planned by the Libyan secret service and the Libyan Embassy."[1]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ERLANGER, STEVEN (November 14, 2001). "4 Guilty in Fatal 1986 Berlin Disco Bombing Linked to Libya". New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
