![]() However, in their ruling, the court presiding over the trial complained that their decision was hindered by ''the limited willingness'' of the German and American governments to share intelligence, and the trial was called "murky" by BBC News. In 2001, a court in Germany found that the bombing had been "planned by the Libyan secret service and the Libyan Embassy", and convicted four people suspected to be involved with the attack, including two workers at the Libyan embassy in East Germany. įollowing the reunification of Germany, archives from the Stasi in East Germany were made available, which led to Libyan embassy worker Musbah Eter, who would later be indicted for aiding and abetting attempted murder. Gaddafi's adopted infant daughter Hana was reported killed, although the claim, and even her existence, have been disputed. At least 30 soldiers and 15 civilians were killed. : 81 Nine days after the bombing, Reagan ordered airstrikes against the Libyan capital of Tripoli, : 79–80 and city of Benghazi. : 77–80 However, the West German team investigating the bombing had not found any evidence of Libyan involvement, and other intelligence agencies throughout Europe also did not find evidence of Libyan involvement. Blame and retribution Īlmost immediately after the bombing, the American government, led by then- president Ronald Reagan, placed the blame on Libya. Some of the victims were left permanently disabled due to the injuries caused by the explosion. The blast injured at least 230 individuals which included more than 50 American services members, as it was a popular hangout spot for service members. Goins, died from his injuries two months later. The explosion instantly killed a Turkish woman, Nermin Hannay, and US Army Sergeant Kenneth T. The blast destroyed a large portion of the floor, causing many to fall into the cellar underneath the dance floor. ![]() He righted himself and went inside to find his wife and joined many individuals who were attempting to help those near the blast. An eyewitness testified that he had walked outside of the club prior to the bomb going off and the blast knocking him back. Attack Ī bomb placed under a table near the disc jockey's booth exploded at 01:45 CET. The site of the bombing, a discothèque known as La Belle, was known to be a popular spot for American troops in West Germany. Two weeks before the bombing, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi called for Arab assaults on American interests worldwide after said bombing, in which 35 seamen on a Libyan patrol boat in the western Gulf of Sidra were killed in international waters claimed by the Libyan government. : 78 Libyan forces subsequently fired upon American planes, : 78 which led to an American bombing campaign. : 77–78 These tensions drastically escalated in early 1986, when US forces repeatedly flew planes over the Gulf of Sidra. The bombing came at a time of heightened tension between the United States and Libya, which first escalated in the early 1980s. : 81 In 2001, following a four-year German trial called murky, and marred by what the court called a "limited willingness" by the American and German governments to share evidence, a court found that the bombing had been "planned by the Libyan Intelligence Service and the Libyan embassy", but absolved Gaddafi of responsibility. In 1987, Manfred Ganschow, the head of the West German team investigating the bombing, said that there was no evidence pointing the finger at Libya, a belief which was corroborated by numerous intelligence agencies in Europe at the time, according to a BBC report. However, in the bombing's aftermath, this claim was met with widespread skepticism. The operation was widely seen as an attempt to kill Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Libya was accused by the US government of sponsoring the bombing, and US President Ronald Reagan ordered retaliatory strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi in Libya ten days later. The entertainment venue was commonly frequented by United States soldiers, and two of the dead and 79 of the injured were Americans. ![]() On 5 April 1986, three people were killed and 229 injured when La Belle discothèque was bombed in the Friedenau district of West Berlin. Memorial plaque reading, "On the 5th of April, 1986, young people were murdered inside this building by a criminal bombing."
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