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The Khobar Towers bombing was an attack on part of a housing complex in the city of Khobar, Saudi Arabia, located near the national oil company (Saudi Aramco) headquarters of Dhahran. In 1996 it was being used to house foreign military personnel, including Americans. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Combatants al-Qaeda United States (primary) +other countries Commanders Osama bin Laden Ayman al-Zawahiri George W. Bush Many others Casualties Unknown 3,500+ dead The Al-Qaeda terror campaign started in 1996 with the Khobar Towers bombing. ... Philippine Airlines Flight 434 was the route designator of a flight that flew on a Ninoy Aquino International Airport near Manila, Philippines - Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Cebu - New Tokyo International Airport (Now Narita International Airport), Narita, Japan near Tokyo route. ... For the second attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, see September 11, 2001 attacks. ... In the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings (August 7, 1998), 257 people were killed and over 4,000 wounded in simultaneous car bomb explosions at the United States embassies in the East African capital cities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya. ... The USS Cole bombing was a suicide bombing attack against the U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) on October 12, 2000 while it was harbored in the Yemeni port of Aden. ... The Rizal Day bombings were a series of bombings that occurred in various places in Metro Manila, Philippines on December 30, 2000 within a span of a few hours killing 22 and injuring about a hundred. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... The Ghriba synagogue bombing was a deadly bombing carried out in Tunisia by the al-Qaeda terrorist group on the El Ghriba synagogue. ... The damaged Limburg The Maritime Jewel is a double hull oil tanker built in 2000; its length is 332 meters and its width is 58 meters. ... On November 28, 2002, the Mombasa hotel bombing took place. ... The Riyadh compound bombings took place on May 12, 2003, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ... The 2003 Casablanca bombings were a series of suicide bombings on May 16, 2003, in Casablanca, Morocco. ... The Istanbul bombings were two truck bomb attacks carried out on two days in November 2003. ... The 2004 Madrid train bombings (also known as 3/11 and -in Spanish- as 11-M [1]) consisted of a series of coordinated bombings against the Cercanías (commuter train) system of Madrid, Spain on the morning of 11 March 2004 (three days before Spains general elections), killing 191... In the 29 May 2004 Al-Khobar massacres in Saudi Arabia, four Islamist terrorists attacked two oil industry installations and a foreign workers housing complex, the Oasis Compound, in the Gulf city of Khobar, Saudi Arabia, taking more than 50 hostages and killing 22 of them. ... The 2004 Sinai bombings were three bomb attacks targeting tourist hotels in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, on October 7, 2004. ... Locations of the bombings, overlaid onto a real-path map of the London Underground The 7 July 2005 London bombings (also called the 7/7 bombings) were a series of coordinated terrorist bomb blasts that hit Londons public transport system during the morning rush hour. ... Wikinews has news related to: Four small explosions strike Londons transport system On 21 July 2005, four attempted bomb attacks disrupted part of Londons public transport system two weeks after the 7 July 2005 London bombings. ... Sharm el-Sheikh is located on the coast of the Red Sea, at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. ... Amman, the capital city of Jordan. ... The seaside town of Dahab is located on the Gulf of Aqaba The Dahab bombings of 24 April 2006 were three bomb attacks on the Egyptian resort city of Dahab. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 531 pixelsFull resolution (1967 × 1305 pixel, file size: 1. ... Khobar Corniche Khobar (also written al-Khobar or al-Khubar ; Arabic: الخبر) is a large city located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the Arabian/Persian Gulf. ... The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Car bomb (disambiguation). ... Houses in Fishpool Street, St Albans, England For other meanings of the word house, see House (disambiguation). ... Khobar Corniche Khobar (also written al-Khobar or al-Khubar ; Arabic: الخبر) is a large city located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the Arabian/Persian Gulf. ... Saudi Aramco, the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia, is the largest oil corporation in the world and the worlds largest in terms of proven crude oil reserves and production. ... This article is about Dhahran, the city. ...

On June 25, 1996, per official statement, individuals identified as members of Hizballah Al-Hijaz (Saudi Hezbollah) ^{[1] [2]} by the United States, exploded a fuel truck adjacent to Building #131 in the housing complex. This eight-story building housed United States Air Force personnel from the 4404th Wing, primarily from a deployed rescue squadron and deployed fighter squadron. In all, 19 U.S. servicemen and one Saudi were killed and 372 of many nationalities were wounded. is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... “The U.S. Air Force” redirects here. ...

The attack

According to the United States, a group of terrorists who wanted to remove Americans from Saudi Arabia organized the attack. Suspicious activity was reported in the area of the Khobar Towers compound in the weeks preceding the attack and during May 1996 the U.S. military local area threat condition (THREATCON) was at Charlie, the highest level is Delta, due to the recent terrorist bombing in Bahrain that killed 3 people.

The terrorists were reported to have smuggled explosives into Saudi Arabia from Lebanon. In Saudi Arabia, they purchased a large truck used for sewage treatment, called a "honey pot" by U.S. troops in the area, and converted it into a bomb. It was originally estimated by U.S. authorities to have contained 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of explosives. Later the General Downing report on the incident raised the probability that the explosion contained the TNT equivalence of 20,000 to 30,000 Pounds of TNT. This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb produced in the United States. ...

The crater

Initially, the attackers attempted to enter the compound at the main check point. When they were denied access by U.S. military personnel, at around 9:43 P.M. local time, they drove three vehicles, two cars and the bomb truck, to a parking lot adjacent to building #131. A chain link security fence and a line of small trees separated the parking lot, used for a local mosque and park, from the housing compound. The perimeter of Building #131 was approximately 90 feet from the fence line, with a perimeter road between the fence and building which was often used by military personnel for jogging. The first car entered the parking lot and signaled the others by flashing headlights. The bomb truck and a getaway vehicle followed shortly after. The men parked the truck next to the fence and left in the third vehicle. The bomb exploded between three and four minutes later at approximately 9:50 P.M. local time. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1470x965, 517 KB) This image is a work of a U.S. military or Department of Defense employee, taken or made during the course of an employees official duties. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1470x965, 517 KB) This image is a work of a U.S. military or Department of Defense employee, taken or made during the course of an employees official duties. ... A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ...

An American sentry, Air Force Staff Sergeant Alfredo R. Guerrero, was stationed atop Building #131. He witnessed the men, recognized the vehicles as a threat, reported it to security, and began a floor by floor evacuation of the building. His actions are credited with saving dozens of lives. Many of the evacuees were in the stairwell when the bomb went off. The stairwell was constructed of heavy marble and was located on the side of the building away from the truck bomb, perhaps the safest location in the building. For his actions, Guerrero was awarded the Airman's Medal, the United States' highest peacetime award for valor. United States Military Staff Sergeant insignia (U.S. Air Force) Staff Sergeant is the fifth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Airman and below Technical Sergeant. ... Airmans Medal The Airman’s Medal is a military decoration of the United States Air Force and is awarded to those service members who distinguish themselves by heroic actions, usually at the voluntary risk of life, but not involving actual combat. ...

Another security measure is thought to have minimized damage. Along the security fence were Jersey barriers, concrete barriers commonly used along roadways. These deflected the blast energy upward, and away from the lower floors of the building, perhaps even preventing a total collapse of the structure. A Jersey barrier was originally developed to divide multiple lanes on a highway by the state of New Jersey in the United States. ...

The crater remaining after the truck bomb explosion, building #131 is on the right

The force of the explosion was enormous. The size of the charge created an intense duststorm as the forces of the high pressure blast wave and the subsequent vacuum forces caused considerable damage in their own right. Several military vehicles parked to the left side of building #131 suffered no direct impact from debris, but were heavily damaged by the sheer intensity of the shock wave. Khobar Towers Bombing This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Khobar Towers Bombing This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...

It heavily damaged or destroyed six high rise apartment buildings in the complex. Windows were shattered in virtually every other building in the compound and in surrounding buildings up to a mile away. An enormous crater, 85 feet wide and 35 feet deep, was left where the truck had been and within a few hours was swelling up partially with saltwater from the Persian Gulf, which is less than one mile away. The blast was felt 20 miles away in the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain. In the minutes following the blast, the residents of the complex evacuated severely injured U.S. military personnel from the area. With power out in many of the buildings nearby #131, the scene was chaotic and tense as little was known about the safety of the area from further attacks. Many residents later gathered in the local dining facility, set up as a triage center, and saw breaking news of the event on large projection televisions intended to bring news of events back home to the troops. Map of the Persian Gulf. ... Typical triage tag used for emergency mass casualty decontamination. ...

Indictment

On June 21, 2001 an indictment was issued in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria, Virginia charging the following people with murder, conspiracy, and other charges related to the bombing: is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia. ... Location in Virginia Coordinates: , Country State Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor William D. Euille Area  - City  15. ... In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between natural persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement. ...

• Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil
• Abdelkarim Hussein Mohamed Al-Nasser
• Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Hoorie
• Ibrahim Salih Mohammed Al-Yacoub
• Nine other Saudis
• One Lebanese man listed as "John Doe."

The remaining five were Sa'ed Al-Bahar, Saleh Ramadan, Ali Al-Marhoun, Mustafa Al-Mu'alem and Fadel Al-Alawe. Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mughassil (Arabic: born June 26, 1967 in Qatif - Bab Al Shamal, Saudi Arabia is wanted by the United States government in connection with the June 25, 1996 attack on the Khobar Towers complex near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. ... Abdelkarim Hussein Mohamed Al-Nasser is a Saudi Arabian national and alleged member of al-Qaeda wanted by the United States government. ... Ali Saed Bin Ali El-Hoorie (Arabic: born July 10-11, 1965 in El Dibabiya, Saudi Arabia is wanted by the United States government in connection with the June 25, 1996 attack on the Khobar Towers complex near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. ... Ibrahim Salih Mohammed Al-Yacoub (Arabic: born October 16, 1966 in Tarut, Saudi Arabia is wanted by the United States government in connection with the June 25, 1996 attack on the Khobar Towers complex near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. ... The name John Doe is generally used in the United States as a placeholder name for a male party in a legal action or legal discussion whose true identity is unknown. ...

In 2004, the 9/11 Commission noted that Osama Bin Laden was seen being congratulated on the day of the Khobar attack, and this raised the possibility that he may have helped the group, possibly by helping to obtain the explosives or the sophisticated timing device used to enable the escape of the perpetrators. According to the United States, classified evidence suggests that the government of Iran was the key sponsor of the incident, and several high ranking members of their military may have been involved.^[3] The U.S. government may have been hesitant to more aggressively pursue the offenders within the Iranian military due to the recent rise of a more reformist government and a desire to enhance relations with Iran at the time. This, however, without any proof is considered pure speculation specially because connecting Iran and Al Qaida is implausible and needs strong evidence, specially since Iran is considered the number one scapegoat for the US struggle in the ongoing failure in the war in Iraq. Another interesting catch on the story is that a U.S. federal court has speculated that the Khobar Towers bombing was authorized by Ali Khamenei, then leader of Iran.^[4] The Commissions seal The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up in late 2002 to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response... Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden (Arabic: ‎; born March 10, 1957[1]), most often mentioned as Osama bin Laden or Usama bin Laden, is a Saudi Arabian militant Islamist and is widely believed to be one of the founders of the organization called al-Qaeda. ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Grand Âyatollâh   (Persian: آیت‌الله سید علی حسینی کس ننه ای Ä€yatollāh Seyyed `AlÄ« ḤoseynÄ« KhāmeneÄ«) (born 17 July 1939), also known as Seyyed Ali Khamenei,[1] is the current Supreme Leader of Iran and was the president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. ...

No firm evidence against Iran

What makes almost all of the US claims against Iran, with regards to this incident, difficult to believe is that US had not brought up anything against Iran through international conduits. Had the US government had anything more than allegation and speculation it would have been unwise not to file a case it in the Hague. So, comparing this to similar incidents, without any released document, and any internationally respectable case, one can only conclude there is indeed no firm evidence against Iran. However,an Op-Ed piece written by Louis J. Freeh in the June 25,2006 Wall Street Journal, stated to the contrary. Mr. Freeh, who was head of the FBI when Khobar Towers were bombed, stated"...Saudi Security Service had arrested six of the bombers after the attack", "the bombers arrested after the attack admitted they had been trained by Iranian external security service (IRGC) in Lebanon's Beka Valley and received their passports at the Iranian Embassey in Damascus, Syria, along with $250,000 cash for the operation from IRGC Gen. Ahmad Sharifi". Coordinates: , Country Netherlands Province South Holland Area (2006)  - Municipality 98. ...

The U.S. victims

These are the nineteen U.S. Air Force servicemen killed in the blast.

• Captain Christopher Adams
• Captain Leland Haun
• Master Sergeant Michael G. Heiser
• Master Sergeant Kendall K. Kitson
• Technical Sergeant Daniel B. Cafourek
• Technical Sergeant Patrick P. Fennig
• Technical Sergeant Thanh V. Nguyen
• Staff Sergeant Kevin Johnson
• Staff Sergeant Ronald King
• Sergeant Millard D. Campbell
• Senior Airman Earl F. Cartrette, Jr.
• Senior Airman Jeremy A. Taylor
• Airman 1st Class Christopher Lester
• Airman 1st Class Brent E. Marthaler
• Airman 1st Class Brian W. McVeigh
• Airman 1st Class Peter J. Morgera
• Airman 1st Class Joseph E. Rimkus
• Airman 1st Class Justin Wood [1]
• Airman 1st Class Joshua E. Woody

Aftermath

William Perry, who was the United States Secretary of Defense in the time that this bombing happened, in an interview in June 2007, said that "he now believes al-Qaida rather than Iran was behind a 1996 truck bombing at an American military base."[2] Secretary of Defense William Perry talks to reporters at Kigali Airport, Rwanda after his arrival to check on status of the relief operation, 1994. ... The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), concerned with the armed services and The role of the Secretary of Defense is to be the principal defense policy advisor to the President and is responsible for the formulation of general defense...

See also

• Riyadh compound bombings (May 12, 2003). The next major attack, which triggered a second series of terrorist attacks.

The Riyadh compound bombings took place on May 12, 2003, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

1. ^ FBI-Khobar.KSA , Towers Bombings
2. ^ ATTORNEY GENERAL STATEMENT
3. ^ Risen, James, Jane Perlez. "Terrorism and Iran: Washington's Policy Performs a Gingerly Balancing Act", The New York Times, June 23, 2001. 
4. ^ Memorandum Opinion, United States District Court, December 22, 2006

External links

• Bombing of Khobar Towers, Rewards For Justice Program, US Department of State
• Indictment USA v. Ahmed al-Mughassil et al., at the FBI
• House National Security Report hosted at Federation of American Scientists
• Department of Defense Casualty Releases
• [3] memorial site for the soldiers lost in the Khobar Towers tragedy