2022 Oftbon attacks
| 2022 Oftbon attacks | |
|---|---|
| Part of global terrorism | |
 Police responding to a bombing scene | |
| Location | Oftbon, Elbresia |
| Date | July 10, 2022 5:44 PM |
| Target | Transportation networks |
Attack type | Bombings, terrorism |
| Weapons | Backpack bombs, car bombs |
| Deaths | 294 |
Non-fatal injuries | 1,277 |
| Perpetrators | Al-Fijar |
The 2022 Oftbon attacks (also known in Elbresia and neighboring countries as J10), was a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that occurred on July 10th, 2022, across multiple sites in Oftbon, Elbresia. The attacks were perpetrated by multiple terrorists connected to Al-Fijar who targeted Oftbon's metro system, the Chelsea-Immes tunnel, and Oftbon-Mullingham Airport, as well as Chacich Air Base. The attack killed 294 people and wounded 1,277. The attack led to Elbresia's government declaring a state of emergency. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Elbresia's history, as well as the first since the 1999 Allengin bombing. It was the deadliest terrorist attack to take place in Nortua, surpassing the 2012 Amstelvoort bombings.
A total of seven devices were detonated, including three car bombs and four pipe bombs hidden in backpacks. The attacks occurred a week after the 2022 federal elections, in which Alexander Desende defeated incumbant-President Gilles Martin.
Background
Attacks
At 5:44 PM on July 10th, 2022, emergency calls reported an explosion inside the Chelsea-Immes tunnel, trapping commuters inside the mainland-bound lane. Responders worked to clear twisted metal of moter vehicles and a collapsed section of the tunnel's support structure. 39 people were killed in the tunnel, which connects mainland Elbresia to Oertor Island, granting a direct non-ferry route to the most populous region of the country in Oftbon. Authorities stated that the structural integrity of the tunnel was not compromised and a collapse was not anticipated. Hundreds of commuters were injured as well, and a Oftbon-bound train suffered damage in an adjacent tube. Smoke could still be seen billowing out of the tunnel's entrance in Chelsea district. The explosion was caused by a car bomb driven by a suicide bomber.
Roughly half an hour later, another blast rocked Nerrette Street metro station near the Museums of Art and History. The bomb exploded on a westbound platform as a train was arriving. 65 people were killed in the explosion, with hundreds more injured. At nearly the same moment, a train at the next station on the line, Renne Street, was destroyed in an explosion as it left the platform. Three cars were completely blown apart, leading authorities to state at least two bombs were onboard. These bombs were planted by Jaasim el-Basa. 120 people were killed in the Renne Street blast. It was at this point that the government issued a warning about terrorist attacks, having ascertained that the tunnel blast and metro explosions were related.
Then, at around 6:30 PM, a the first of two car bombs exploded at the Arrivals terminal at Oftbon-Mullingham Airport, killing 42 people. Oftbon International Airport, colloquially known as Oftbon-Mullingham Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Oftbon, and the second busiest airport in Elbresia after Allengin International Airport. Among the dead were 2 Emmirian citizens and a Versenian citizen. Moments later, the second car bomb exploded outside the gates of Chacich Air Base, a Zamastanian-utilized air force facility attached to Oftbon-Mullingham. 3 people were killed in the blast, which occurred after security personnel observed the vehicle approaching the gates and raised their weapons, demanding the driver stop. Two of the people killed were members of the Elbresian Armed Forces, and a Zamastanian contractor was also killed. The incident placed the base on a state of heightened alert.
A seventh bomb exploded at around 6:40 PM at another metro stop, Alemart Street station, which is only two blocks from the Foreign Ministry Oftbon Offices. Prime Minister Matviy Loka had recently left a restaurant near the Alemart Street station when he had been called away to respond to the emerging crisis, and the explosion missed his departure by barely 10 minutes. The explosion occurred on a platform in Alemart, and authorities have released surveillance images of a suspect who they believe planted a bomb inside a backpack and left it on a bench. The explosion killed 23 people. The Alemart bomb was planted by Asmar el-Basa.
Aftermath
Hundreds of people were admitted to hospitals in Oftbon and neighbouring towns as authorities scrambled to find suspects and rescue survivors.
Investigation
Officials released the names of two suspected bombers who were at large; Jaasim el-Basa and Asmar el-Basa. The two men were brothers, 29 and 27 respectively, who are of Jaginistani descent and have been known to make social media posts praising al-Fijar. Authorities did not state why they were not stopped or being monitored prior to the attacks, but they have confirmed that they are likely to be armed and dangerous. There were no other named live suspects, as other blasts had been connected to suicide bombings.
The el-Basa brothers were located by police three days after the bombings, and engaged in a gunfight with police who tried to apprehend them. Jaasim and a police officer, Jackson Devallieu, were killed in the shootout, but Asmar was detained. Asmar told investigators in interrogation that he was "acting on behalf of al-Fijar and Asaad al-Shaad", information which coincided with a recent public endorsement of al-Fijar by al-Shaad, the president of Terehan, for a holy war against "non-Muslim nations." The month prior, the bombing of a government building in Helniemi, Caspiaa, and the attempted assassination of Lutharia's president Baldur Hirschl had been connected to this endorsement.
Reaction
Domestic
President Gilles Martin called the attacks a "horrific and coordinated deliberate action of evil against the Elbresian people," and pledged to find the people responsible and "make them pay dearly."
Prime Minister Matviy Loka was at a restaurant across the street from the Alemart Street station when it was attacked, and he was evacuated to the Foreign Ministry Offices in Oftbon before leaving to Allengin. He responded to the attacks saying "these terrorists have struck the heart of our country and the heart of our people. Those responsible will not escape justice."
President-elect Alexander Desende said "the attacks on Oftbon are a fashion of terror never before seen in our nation." He promised to hold the perpetrators accountable once he was inaugurated.
Former-president Sophie Amteès responded to the attacks saying "my heart breaks for the people of Oftbon, the countless victims, those who have lost loved ones and friends, a city which will forever be scarred. We will come together and recover from this historic atrocity."
Conservative Party leader Arlo Robinson gave condolences to the victims of the attacks and vowed revenge on the bombers, calling on authorities to "immediately capture the el-Basa brothers" and to "join the international effort to eradicate al-Fijar."
International
President of Emmiria Akram Sulaiman postponed a planned state visit to Elbresia, calling the attackers "cowards who distort our Islamic faith in a wicked and unjustifiable way to kill and maim innocents." Sulaiman pledged support to the Elbresian government, saying that any and all required or requested resources would be provided to help victims and first responders. In reaction to the attack, Sulaiman said "the heart of Emmiria stands with the Elbresian Republic. I am postponing my upcoming state visit and meetings with President Martin and President-elect Desende, as per their requests, but I have talked with both of them during the transitional phase and am committed to continuing our constructive relationship. We Emmirians know the pain, heartbreak, shock, and anger of terrorism firsthand, and we have the Elbresian people and the citizens of Oftbon in our prayers today."
President of Versenia Arthur Vanberson was in Allengin, meeting with president-elect Alexander Desende and delegates of the Alliance of Nortuan States when the attacks occurred. He was placed on lockdown for security reasons, and later returned to Aasillit. Vanberson called the attack a "despicable atrocity" and said that Versenia would do "whatever needs to be done in order to respond to the actions of evildoers."