The following is a list of attacks on diplomatic buildings (embassies, consulates) anywhere in the world. The list does not include attacks on individuals outside or inside an embassy, such as assassinations of ambassadors, or incidents such as letter bombs to individuals.
Muslim clerics and soldiers of the Iranian military beat Robert Whitney Imbrie, United States consul in Tehran after it was incorrectly believed that he poisoned a well.[2]
On April 6, with support from other foreign diplomatic missions, Zhang Zuolin ordered policemen and gendarmeries stormed and invaded the Soviet embassy in Peking to arrest Li Dazhao and his family, as Li was accused of overthrowing government backed by Soviet Union. Li Dazhao was sentenced to death later, and his family members were released shortly after Li was executed.[5][6]
On June 24, in the days following Nazi Germany's declaration of war on the Soviet Union, members of the Falange stormed the British Embassy with a truck-load of stones at their disposal. Embassy staff as well as 16 escaped POWs prevented an attempted break in by the Falangists. The Spanish dictator Francisco Franco dismissed the incident as a "trivial matter concerning young hotheads" in response to a protest by the British ambassador Sir Samuel Hoare.[8][9][10][11]
In what became known as the Cairo fire on January 26, 1952, the two-story Swedish consulate general in Cairo was completely destroyed after being stormed, looted, and set on fire by rebellious crowds. Consul General Erik Ekberg and an Egyptian office assistant were in the building, but no one was harmed.[13]
Eight Venezuelans, five of whom escaped from a military hospital at gunpoint accompanied by three armed accomplices who joined them outside, sought asylum in the embassy, being forced out of the colonial building by the local police and army, ending in a shootout that continued inside the embassy. Amid the confusion, press attaché Guillermo O'Haggen was dragged out to the embassy's garden by various officers through a broken window, while Panamanian citizen Raúl Rodríguez was detained when leaving the embassy. Peruvian ambassador Pedro Ugarteche y Tizón protested the events the following day.[17]
Synchronized bombing.[26][25] Explosion went off at 12:55 AM in walkway between the consulate and home of Richard Stockton Rush Jr. (father of Richard Stockton Rush III), blowing holes in the walls of both the consulate where caretaker Mihailo Simić and his wife were sleeping and the very room in which 6-year-old Catherine Rush was sleeping.[24]
Synchronized bombing.[26][25] Perpetrated by Miomir Radovanović and Dragiša Kašiković. Left a crater in the backyard.[24] In response, the FBI had Serbian flyers condemning the bombings distributed in Chicago.[27]
American and British embassies were attacked and burned by rioters after false rumors spread in the city that the United States had bombed Cairo. This incident occurred at the start of the Six-Day War.[30]
Two Croatian emigres seized the Yugoslav consulate in demanding the release of prisoners held in Yugoslav jails, only to surrender to authorities after their demands were refused.
1975 Fox Street siege: David Protter, a South African Jew, seized about 20–30 hostages at the Israeli Consulate General where he worked as a security officer. The consulate was on the 5th-floor of an office building in downtown Johannesburg. After killing two consulate employees Protter – armed with two Uzi submachine guns, eleven pistols, a .22 pellet gun and about 2 000 rounds of ammunition – opened fire on pedestrians and motorists in Fox and Von Brandis Streets, killing 2 and wounding 82. He surrendered to police early the next morning (30 April), 19 hours after taking over the consulate.
Ambassador Mahmoud Abdul Ghaffer, as well as the consul and the press attaché of the embassy of Egypt in Madrid were held at gunpoint by unaffiliated Palestinian militants at the embassy. The group left via a plane headed to Algiers, alongside the ambassadors of Algeria (Jaled Jelladi) and Iraq (Hassan Al-Naklb), who requested to accompany Ghaffer. All hostages and perpetrators were released at Algiers–Dar El Beïda International Airport.[42]
The Swedish embassy in Tunis was set on fire by a Tunisian man who had previously lived in Sweden and wanted to return there. When he was not allowed to do so, he decided to retaliate by setting the embassy on fire. A few days earlier, the man had vandalized a business and was then admitted to a mental hospital. He escaped from there. The man had a knife during the attack on the embassy. When the police apprehended him, he attempted to take his own life.[43]
A group of Arab students stormed the Egyptian embassy in Athens to protest Egyptian president Anwar Sadat's historic trip to Jerusalem. Embassy guards opened fire on the protesters.[44][45]
A rocket fired at the Egyptian Embassy killed one security guard and wounded two other guards and six soldiers from Saudi Arabia. This incident was in response to Egyptian president Anwar Sadat's historic trip to Jerusalem.[44][45]
Two gunmen attacked the Iraqi Embassy in Paris, but one of them fled during the attack. The lone gunman was persuaded to release his eight hostages and surrender after eight hours. As he was being led away, Iraqi guards opened fire, wounding the gunman and killing one policeman. Police returned fire, killing one of the Iraqis and wounding three others.[46]
Three Israeli gunmen seized the West German Embassy and Culture Centre in Tel Aviv. They demanded the abolition of the West German statute of limitations whereby those accused of war crimes could not be tried after 1978.
Four armed members of the Popular Revolutionary Bloc (BPR) seized the Costa Rican embassy, taking five persons hostage. The hostages escaped on May 9, but the group continued to hold the embassy until they were granted safe passage to Costa Rica.[46]
Sixteen armed members of the Popular Revolutionary Bloc (BPR) seized the French embassy, taking six persons hostage. Granted political asylum in Mexico, the militants released the hostages on June 1.[46]
Nine armed members of the Popular Revolutionary Bloc (BPR) seized the Venezuelan embassy, taking eight persons hostage. On May 20, the ambassador and four staff members escaped. The group continued to hold the embassy until June 1, when they were granted safe passage to Mexico.[46]
Eight members of the Farabundo Marti Popular Liberation Forces attempted to seize the South African embassy. The attackers were repulsed after a gun battle with police which left two policemen dead. All of the attackers escaped.[46]
Four terrorists from the group Eagles of the Palestinian Revolution seized the Egyptian embassy in Ankara and held a number of diplomats, including the ambassador, hostage for two days.[49][50]
Approximately 50 leftist militants of the 28 February Popular League seized the Panamanian embassy, taking seven hostages, including the Panamanian and Costa Rican ambassadors.[46]
A group of leftist militants seized the Panamanian embassy for the second time in a month, taking three hostages, including the Panamanian ambassador.[46]
A bomb critically wounds 4 Honduran policemen stationed outside the Chilean embassy. The Revolutionary Popular Forces Lorenzo Zelaya claim responsibility, ostensibly to protest the presence of Chilean military advisors in Honduras.[52]
A bomb exploded at the Chinese embassy's garden as part of a series of attacks that also targeted a local headquarters of the Acción Popular political party and the Caja Municipal de Crédito bank at the corner of Piérola and Grau avenues.[51]
A bomb exploded in front of the U.S. embassy at Wilson Avenue and at the residence's main yard in Arequipa Avenue, located a few blocks away, as part of a series of attacks that also targeted factories of American companies, as well as a branch of the Bank of America.[51][54] The Argentine embassy was also attacked.[55]
Reports of the midday attack vary between a gunfight between six gunmen (four men in a small car and two on motorcycles) and six members of the Civil Guard, and one attacker without the exchange of gunfire. Ambassador Frank Ortiz was not at the residence at the time.[54]
Civil Guard Evert Medrano was shot to death by three suspects while guarding the embassy, who took his submachine gun and escaped in a cream Volkswagen vehicle.[51][55]
The Honduran and U.S. embassies were attacked with dynamite between 8:40 and 9:30p.m. Honduran ambassador Leiva and his son Yuri were at the chancery's lobby in Dos de Mayo Avenue when the explosives were thrown. Other attacks took place on the same night.[58][55]
Three MRTA members located at the Parque Neptuno, 120 metres from the embassy, shot at its façade at night with FN FAL rifles in response to comments made by then President Fernando Belaúnde during the United Nations General Assembly. Four arrests were made on the same day, with Belaúnde referring to the events as "criminal and cowardly."[51][55]
The terrorist group Shining Path bombed a number of targets in Lima, including the Soviet and Chinese embassies. Two sticks of dynamite were thrown over the wall of the U.S. ambassador's residence, causing no injuries.[61][62][51] Two police stations were also bombed.[55]
A Civil Guard that was guarding the embassy (also reported as the consulate) was fatally shot in the head by MRTA members. Afterwards, the offices the Banco de Desarrollo in Juan de Arona avenue and that of Avianca, both in San Isidro were attacked, with graffiti against Belisario Betancur being painted on the latter's walls, all in response to the killing of M-19 guerrilla members in Bogotá.[51][55]
The embassy was attacked with dynamite, alongside offices belonging to ICPNA, IBM, APRA and Citibank, two Sears bank agencies, the LaSalle School, and a store.[55]
A car bomb placed by MRTA operatives and armed with 40kg of dynamite destroyed the vehicle and parts of the back wall of the ambassador's residence, exploding five minutes after the end of curfew, in response to U.S. actions in Libya and in Nicaragua.[51][55]
At 5:45a.m., three members of the MRTA aboard a red Toyota threw dynamite at the main gate of the embassy, destroying it, with debris impacting the Los Ficus building, located nearby. The date was chosen due to it being the country's national holiday, with the fugitives throwing papers denouncing Augusto Pinochet's "fascist dictatorship."[63] The ambassador's residence was also attacked.[55]
A shooting took place at embassy, then located at 60 Velázquez Street, between security personnel and militants who entered through a window, with no injuries.[64]
The embassy in Miraflores was attacked between 2 and 5 p.m. with grenades and submachine guns during an official visit of then president Alan García to the Asian country as part of a series of attacks in different parts of the city. Earlier on the same day, newspapers announced that the government had extended its state of emergency for another 30 days. Civil Guards Segundo Rufasto Alarcón, Luis Salas and alférez Francisco Flores were killed during the attack.[51][55]
A shootout took place near the U.S. ambassador's residence, at Petit Thouars Avenue. One of several shootings, some 15 explosions also took place, leaving nine departments in a blackout.[51][55]
The embassy was attacked alongside a hotel, civil guards posted near the Ministry of Health, and a Nissan manufacturing plant, where one worker and four terrorists were killed.[55]
1988
June 9
0
0
The residence of then ambassador Alexander Watson was shot at twice with homemade mortars mounted on vehicles by alleged MRTA members, who slightly damaged the building.[51]
October 2
Two men were arrested while two others ran away.[55][66]
A coordinated attack by the Shining Path was carried out with explosives at 8:15p.m. in Miraflores and San Isidro districts, against the embassies of the PRC and the USSR and a building where U.S. marines resided, causing material damages.[67]
An RPG-2 was fired towards the empty consulate at night.[69]
1991
January 25
1+
An hour after a car bomb exploded at Lima Airport, an RPG-7 was fired towards the embassy at 1:51p.m. The six perpetrators travelled aboard a stolen four-door white Nissan pickup truck, firing the projectile and immediately continuing with small arms fire. MRTA literature and materials related to the Gulf War were found inside the vehicle. The attack indicated a departure from previous MRTA attacks, as it was possibly intended to cause harm rather than cause damage.[69]
The Spanish ambassador's residence was attacked with an explosive that only damaged the building's windows and surroundings, and did not manage to go over its two-metre-tall outer wall when thrown. Meanwhile, another device destroyed two cars parked behind the security fence at the French embassy. A woman who had appeared moments earlier claiming to have been raped nearby was detained.[70]
A red car exploded in the posterior wall of the ambassador's residence, similar to the April 1986 attack, leaving a 20 foot-long section of the 10-foot-high wall and dealing considerable damage to the interior. Ambassador Anthony Quainton was not home at the time of the attack, which continued with the bombings of at least five banks and a movie theatre.[72]
1992 Peruvian embassy attack in Stockholm: A series of attacks against diplomatic missions of the country began with rebels painting red pro-Shining Path slogans on the building's façade and making an attempt on the life of the ambassador in Sweden that was thwarted by local police. The embassy in London was next, being shot at and also painted with slogans in early August. Similar attacks were made on a number of European embassies, while the mission in Mexico had dead dogs hung around it.[75]
Simultaneous attacks: On December 26, the anniversary of Mao Zedong's birth, Shining Path members detonated a number of car bombs next to diplomatic missions in Lima. At 5:45a.m., the one at the Chinese embassy partially detonated with no casualties or major damage. Around the same time, the Costa Rican embassy and the Austrian consulate in Miraflores followed, causing material damage, followed by another one at the German embassy. On the 28th, at approximately 9:40a.m., the Japanese embassy and an adjacent house were bombed after being shot at, with the Chinese embassy following suit 20 minutes later with material damage.[76]
Dynamite was thrown at the embassy, damaging its front door, in a series of attacks that also targeted popular restaurant La Rosa Náutica, and a number of APRA offices, alongside other places.[51]
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy: Thousands of protesters in Damascus attacked and set fire to the Danish and Norwegian embassies, later moving toward the French embassy; the building housing the Chilean and Swedish embassies was also damaged. The unrest was caused by outrage over controversial caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad first published in a Danish newspaper.[82]
A car bomb exploded outside Sweden's honorary consulate in Benghazi, Libya, causing significant damage to the building but no reported injuries. The explosion shattered windows and destroyed the entrance, but consulate staff remained unharmed.[110]
Soldier posted outside Iranian Embassy in Vienna was attacked by a knife-wielding Egyptian national with Islamist sympathies. Attacker was shot and killed.[122]
North Korean Embassy in Madrid incident: 10 men forcibly entered the North Korean embassy in Madrid and beat and tied up eight diplomats within, before stealing computers and files.[124]
Amid antigovernment protests in Iraq focusing on government dysfunction, corruption, and Iranian influence over the Iraqi government, a crowd of Iraqi demonstrators (almost all Shia Muslim) burned down the Iranian consulate in Najaf in southern Iraq. Najaf police said that 35 protesters and 32 members of Iraqi security forces were injuries. No Iranian personnel were in the consulate during the attack,[127] as consulate staff fled just beforehand.[128]
Anti-Chinese and anti-communist protesters torched the Chinese embassy after a rumor that China killed four Kata'ib Hezbollah members who were hiding in Xinjiang.
A man broke into the ambassador's residence in Forest Hills at around 8 a.m. and started breaking doors and windows while the building was occupied by the diplomat and his family, causing the arrival of local Secret Service and Police units, who fatally shot the intruder when he attempted to charge at them.[133][134]
The Chinese consulate-general was damaged by air strikes against the city, with at least one window broken. No casualties were reported at the site, although three people were killed on the same night.[136]
Pro-coup and pro-Russian protestors surrounded and attempted to set fire to the embassy, prompting partial evacuations of both the French and US embassies.[137]
On the night of August 10, 2023, an attempted attack on the Swedish embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, occurred. Police suspect that someone threw a bomb at the embassy, but it was removed before it exploded. No one was injured in the incident. Lebanese police believe the attack was motivated by the Quran burnings in Sweden.[139]
Chinese citizen Zhanyuan Yang crashed a car into the lobby of the Chinese consulate. The police struggled to restrain him and shot him after seeing that he had a knife.[140][141]
The UAE alleged that the Sudanese air force bombed the UAE ambassador's residence in Khartoum. Sudan denied attacking the residence and blamed the Rapid Support Forces.[148]
↑Yang Hu, ed. (2014). "李大釗年譜簡編" [Summarized Chronicle of Li Dazhao]. 中國近代思想家文庫·李大釗卷[Library for China's Modern Ideologists – Li Dazhao's Volume]. Beijing: China Renmin University Press.
↑Ami Pedahzur; Arie Perliger (2009). Jewish Terrorism in Israel. New York: Columbia University Press. p.176. ISBN978-0231154475.
↑Ami Pedahzur; Arie Perliger (2009). Jewish Terrorism in Israel. New York: Columbia University Press. pp.31–33. ISBN978-0231154475.
↑"Terror Bombings Mark Arrival Of Dulles In Turkey: Chinese Centers Targets Of Two Blasts". The Hartford Courant. Associated Press. January 27, 1958. p.1.
1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132"APENDICE: CUADROS CRONOLOGICOS SOBRE LA VIOLENCIA POLITICA". Violencia política en el Perú: 1980-1988(PDF) (in Spanish). Vol.1. Lima: DESCO Centro de Estudios y Promoción del Desarrollo. 1989. pp.824, 835, 853, 876, 881, 890, 905–906, 918, 929, 944, 945, 952, 957–959, 966, 968–969, 974, 976, 986, 997, 1010, 1013, 1017, 1069, 1072.
↑"Incident Detail". Database of Worldwide Terrorism Incidents. RAND Corporation. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
↑Mattos, Francisco (August 16, 1992). "Shining Path Activities in Europe Reviewed". La República (Article from the Investigative Unit translated to English and republished at the "Daily Report: Latin America" news bulletin, No. PY0509210092, p. 39.). pp.16–19.
↑"Libya says attacks a 2-part militant assault". Detroit News. September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2012. In Yemen, hundreds of protesters chanting 'Death to America!' stormed the U.S. Embassy compound in the capital, Sanaa, and burned the American flag.[permanent dead link]
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