1994 London Israeli embassy bombing

26 July 1994 car bombing of Israeli embassy building yes May 2013 May 2020 1994 London Israeli Embassy bombing London, United Kingdom 26 July 1994 250px 7pxThe attack site 51 30 10.44 N 0 11 20.76 W inline Israeli embassy London.JPG Israeli embassy in London Israeli embassyBalfour House Car bomb 0 20 Palestinian nationalism Jawad Botmeh, Samar Alami The 1994 London Israeli Embassy bombing was a car bomb attack on the Israeli embassy in Kensington, London, on 26 July 1994. The explosion injured twenty civilians and caused extensive damage to nearby buildings. A second bomb exploded several hours later outside Balfour House in Finchley, which housed the London offices of the United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA), injuring six people. Two Palestinian engineers, Samar Alami and Jawad Botmeh, were later convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions in connection with the attacks. Background and attacks On the morning of 26 July 1994, a car containing an estimated 20 to 30 lb kg of explosives detonated outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington Palace Gardens, moments after the driver left the vehicle. The blast was heard over a mile away and shattered windows in nearby shops and residences. The attack occurred one day after a meeting in Washington, D.C., between King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin to discuss a peace treaty between their countries.26 July 1994 Israel's London embassy bombed https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/26/newsid_2499000/2499619.stm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20170909193130/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/26/newsid_2499000/2499619.stm 9 September 2017 BBC About thirteen hours later, a second car bomb exploded outside Balfour House in Finchley, the headquarters of the United Jewish Israel Appeal, a British Jewish charity.Yonah Alexander, Edgar H. Brenner (2013). Document No 24, in UK's Legal Responses to Terrorism, Routledge, p. 69327 July 1994 Bombing in London Hits Israeli Embassy https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/27/world/bombing-in-london-hits-israeli-embassy.html The New York Times Six people were injured in that blast. Investigation Initial suspicion focused on "pro-Iranian extremists, probably linked to the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group," according to statements from the Israeli ambassador and British intelligence analysts. Shortly after the first explosion, a group calling itself the Palestinian Resistance Jaffa Group claimed responsibility in letters sent to two Arab newspapers. In January 1995, five Palestinians were arrested in London in connection with the attacks, leading to charges against two of them the following year. Convictions and appeals In December 1996, two of the individuals arrested the previous year, Samar Alami—a Lebanese-Palestinian chemical engineer educated at University College London and Imperial College London26 November 1998 The bomber who never was https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/the-bomber-who-never-was-1187295.html subscription live https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/the-bomber-who-never-was-1187295.html 1 May 2022 20 May 2016 The Independent10 May 1999 https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/340295.stm 2010-03-18 BBC News Israel embassy bombers to appeal—and Jawad Botmeh—a Palestinian electronics engineer educated at the University of Leicester and King's College LondonGambetta Diego https://books.google.com/books?id=sirFCgAAQBAJ Engineers of Jihad: The Curious Connection between Violent Extremism and Education Hertog Steffen 1 March 2016 Princeton University Press 978-1-4008-8025-6 23—were convicted at the Old Bailey of conspiracy to cause explosions related to the 1994 bombings.Beckett Andy 21 October 2000 Caught in the blast https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2000/oct/21/weekend7.weekend1 14 October 2010 The Guardian London The prosecution did not allege that they planted the bombs but argued that they were part of a group involved in planning or supporting the attacks.Caught in the blast . The Guardian (21 October 2000). Retrieved 2019-07-17. Both admitted experimenting with homemade explosives, which they said were intended for demonstration purposes to be shared with Palestinians in the occupied territories.Campbell Duncan Norton-Taylor Richard 1999-03-27 M15 role in inquiry into Israeli embassy blast under scrutiny https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/mar/27/duncancampbell.richardnortontaylor 2018-08-11 The Guardian 0261-3077 They were each sentenced to twenty years in prison and lost an appeal in 2001.1 November 2001 Tally Ho Bombers Lose Court Appeal http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/15117.tally_ho_bombers_lose_court_appeal/ The Guardian Amnesty International stated that Botmeh had been "denied his right to a fair trial."John Morgan 13 March 2013 Botmeh suspension lifted by London Met https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/botmeh-suspension-lifted-by-london-met/2002583.article 2015-09-14 timeshighereducation.co.uk Campaigns supporting the pair were backed by the government of Palestine, the trade union Unison, lawyer Gareth Peirce, journalist Paul Foot, and the group Miscarriages of Justice UK (MOJUK).Freedom and Justice for Samar and Jawad. Unison (24 February 2003). Retrieved 2019-07-17.MOJUK: Newsletter 'Inside Out' No 36. MOJUK. Retrieved 2019-07-17. Five early day motions in the British Parliament gained support from 71 MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell, Peter Bottomley, and Tom Brake.The latest attack on Jeremy Corbyn is only half the story. Middle East Monitor (1 September 2015). Retrieved 2019-07-17.Swinford, Steven (1 September 2015). Jeremy Corbyn campaigned for release of Embassy bombers. Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2019-07-17. In 2007, the European Court of Human Rights dismissed their appeal, ruling that their trial had not violated the right to a fair hearing.Palestinian bombers appeal fails . BBC News (7 June 2007). Retrieved 2019-07-17. Allegations and controversy In 1998, former MI5 officer David Shayler alleged that British security services had received an advance warning of a plan to attack the embassy but took no preventive action. The Crown Prosecution Service later confirmed a warning had been received, though it related to a different group than the one whose members were convicted.Taylor, Mike (27 October 2000). Shayler was right over bomb at Israeli embassy. The Independent. Retrieved 2019-07-17. Then–Home Secretary Jack Straw stated that MI5 could not have prevented the attack based on the available intelligence.Norton-Taylor, Richard (4 November 2002). Behind the MI5 trial. The Guardian. Retrieved 2019-07-17. Shayler's allegations were referenced in Botmeh and Alami's appeal by their lawyer Michael Mansfield QC, who noted the type of explosive used in the bombing was unknown, and that Jack Straw had prevented disclosure of intelligence agency information.Hopkins Nick 2000-10-25 MI5 'hid' reports on embassy bombing https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/oct/25/israel 2026-05-17 The Guardian en-GB 0261-3077 Another former MI5 officer, Annie Machon, later said that an internal MI5 assessment concluded that the attack was conducted by Mossad in order to smear local Palestinian activists.2025-05-21 Operation Susannah 2.0? Tehran warns UK of Mossad-style plots to derail ties https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/513386/Operation-Susannah-2-0-Tehran-warns-UK-of-Mossad-style-plots 2025-10-13 Tehran Times enJay Paul 2012-10-31 From MI6 Al Qaeda Plot to Kill Gaddafi to Spying on Domestic Dissent: An MI5 Whistle Blowers Story https://truthout.org/video/an-mi5-whistle-blowers-story/ 2025-10-13 Truthout en-US Later developments Botmeh was released from prison in 2008.22 February 2013 London Metropolitan University suspends researcher with car bomb conviction https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-21545445 BBC He later worked as a researcher at London Metropolitan University,22 February 2013 London Metropolitan University suspends researcher with car bomb conviction - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21545445 2015-09-14 BBC News where he was briefly suspended in 2013 after being elected as a staff representative. Unison stated that the suspension was connected to his trade union activities. The decision was reversed the following month and he was reinstated. See also List of attacks against Israeli embassies and diplomats 2026 attack on Israeli consulate in Turkey References External links Riddle of man behind Israeli embassy bomb (by Robert Fisk), The Independent, 26 November 1998 New evidence suggests activists were framed https://web.archive.org/web/20190810073559/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/1999/Mar-24/11661-new-evidence-suggests-activists-were-framed.ashx 10 August 2019 , The Daily Star, 24 March 1999 Category:1994 in international relations London Embassy bombing Israeli Embassy bombing Category:1990s crimes in London Category:1990s trials Category:20th century in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Category:1994 building bombings Category:Car and truck bombings in 1994 Israeli Category:Attacks on diplomatic missions of Israel Category:Car and truck bombings in London Category:Israel–United Kingdom relations Category:July 1994 crimes Category:July 1994 in the United Kingdom Category:Palestinian terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom Category:Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 1994 Category:Trials in London Category:Building bombings in London