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Al Qaida claims responsibility for Danish embassy blast
A statement attributed to Al Qaida claimed this week's deadly bombing at the Danish Embassy in Islamabad and threatened to "rain" more attacks on countries where cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) are published.
- AP
- Published: 00:11 June 6, 2008
- A Pakistani investigator collects evidence at the site of the massive car bomb blast outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad.
- Image Credit: AP
Islamabad: A statement attributed to Al Qaida claimed this week's deadly bombing at the Danish Embassy in Islamabad and threatened to "rain" more attacks on countries where cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) are published.
The statement, signed by an Al Qaida commander in Afghanistan, also lauded Pakistani jihadists for assisting in the suicide car bombing on June 2, which came as Pakistan seeks controversial peace deals with militants in its border regions.
The blast killed six, including one Danish citizen, and caused widespread destruction in the neighbourhood. A Danish official said yesterday that Denmark had shared with Pakistan a video of the attack that showed the vehicle arriving outside the embassy and exploding.
Top suspect
Danish officials have already said Al Qaida is the top suspect, and the Internet statement appeared to strengthen that assessment.
The post was dated June 3 and signed by Mustafa Abu Al Yazeed. It said the attack was designed to fulfil Osama Bin Laden's promise to exact revenge for the reprinting in Danish newspapers of a cartoon of the Prophet wearing a bomb-shaped turban.
And it warned that if Denmark fails to apologise for the cartoons, more attacks will follow and that Monday's blast will "only be the first drop of rain."
The attack is but a "warning to this infidel nation and whoever follows its example," it said.
Denmark "published the insulting drawings" and later "refused to apologise for publishing them, instead they repeated their act," the posting said.
The statement's authenticity could not be independently verified, though it was posted on a site frequently used by Islamist militants.
Ben Venzke of IntelCenter, a US group which monitors Al Qaida messages, said prime targets for Al- Yazeed's threat would be embassies and diplomatic personnel in Pakistan from countries where cartoons were published.
Venzke said Norway, the US and all European Union member countries, including Denmark, were most at risk.
The statement said the bombing was carried out by an Al Qaida martyr and it thanked Pakistani militants for helping execute the plot.
Islamic law generally opposes any depiction of the Prophet, even favourable, for fear it could lead to idolatry. In early 2006, a dozen cartoons, originally published in a Danish newspaper, triggered fiery protests in Muslim countries when they were reprinted by a range of Western media, mostly in Europe.
Cartoonist under threat
The drawing of the Prophet in a bomb-shaped turban appeared again in Danish newspapers on February 13, after Danish police said they foiled an alleged plot to murder the cartoonist who drew it.
Monday's attack was the deadliest strike against Denmark since the cartoons' publication.
Al Qaida militants are believed to have found safe havens and linked forces with pro-Taliban elements in Pakistani tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistan's newly elected government is in peace talks with militants to try to curb Islamist extremist violence in its territory.
The US is worried the deals will give militants time to regroup, but Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq defended the peace talks on Thursday saying it was not negotiating with "terrorists." A ten-member Danish crisis management team is in Pakistan to help probe the bombing and assess security for the Danish diplomatic mission in the capital.
Spokeswoman Louise Brincker said the Danes have shared a video from a closed-circuit camera with Pakistani investigators that shows the car arriving outside the embassy and exploding.
She said it is not possible to see the licence plates because of the camera angle. Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said the video also doesn't show who was in the car.
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