June 28 attacks
| June 28 Attacks | |
|---|---|
| Part of Txotai conflict | |
| File:Mapofnamo.png Most of the attacks happened in Dacheng, in the center of Namo City | |
| Location | Yinzo Road, Namo, Capital District Sansan, Southern Namor |
| Date | June 28th, NMR 2355 |
Attack type | Aircraft hijackings, suicide attacks, mass murder |
| Deaths | 538 |
Non-fatal injuries | 2,956 |
The June 28 Attacks, commonly known as Six-Twenty-Eight or 6-28, was a series of terror attacks that took place in and around Namo, Capital District, Namor. The attackers hijacked two Air Namor flights, Flight AN8484 and AN5144. The first plane crashed into the Aininian embassy in Namor, while the second was initially hijacked, but eventually returned to the hands of the passengers before crashing into a field in Sansan, Southern Namor. In the time intervening the crashing of AN8484 and AN5144, suicide truck bombers crashed the Ethnic Minority Affairs Ministry headquarters in Namo. The attacks led to the Namorese government declaring a state of emergency over the entire country, the first time it has ever done so.
538 people were killed, and 2,956 people were injured, making the June 28 attacks the deadliest of its kind in the history of mainland Namor.
The Knights of Saint Luther, an overseas-based Otekian group belonging to the Otekian independence movement, claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Namorese government responded by strengthening the presence of security forces in Txotai and launching a nationwide campaign to stiff out separatist groups.
Name
The attacks are internationally referred to as the "June 28 Attacks," but another term, "6-28 (six-twenty-eight)," is colloquially used by many to describe the attacks. In Namorese, it becomes known as "Сизедемипа Сикан (Sizedemipa Sikan), literally meaning the "Incident of June 28."
Detail of the Attacks
Air Namor Flight AN8484
Air Namor Flight AN8484 was the first plane to have caused damage in the entire timeline of the attacks. Flight AN8484 was headed for Namo International Airport from Mann, Bleckonia, carrying 266 passengers. On the plane there were five members of the Knights; one of them was identified by the Namorese as Reid Jaylen, who carried a Nebesinan passport with the name "James Wood." Authorities say Veselko was under the disguise of a Nebesinan businessman residing in Bleckonia. The other four militants on board the plane have been identified as Yakov Joseph, Don Syd, Ezekiel Miloslav and Kelcey Shaw.
According to investigators, attackers announced they would hijack the plane and ordered passengers to stay silent. When some disobeyed, shots were fired and some died before the crash occurred. The pilot, co-pilot and captain were all shot to death and the attackers took full control of the plane, steering it away from its original route that led to Namo International and towards the metropolitan area of Namo.
Sometime around 7:53 AM, the plane's altitude had dropped significantly, and soon it was clear that it was heading towards Yinzo Road, which was made of glass. Flight AN8484 slammed head-first into the glass pavilion, quickly shattering the embassy into pieces. The crash did not only have an impact on the embassy but the other buildings and apartments next to it - the Aininian embassy was located on 19 Yinzo Road in Namo; Yinzo Road is part of downtown Namo, and is one of the busiest streets in the entire city. The AN8484 crash killed almost everyone on the plane, as well as all 57 staff stationed in the embassy except for the Aininian ambassador Charlotte Dubois, who reportedly laid injured in the sidewalk before being taken away to the nearest hospital by Namorese medics and diplomatic protection corps. Five more survivors have been found.
Twenty minutes later, when the Namorese government confirmed the attacks, a state of emergency was declared throughout the Capital District, and the armed forces were mobilized. Anti-air systems surrounding the Executive House were activated to prevent it from any incident. All foreign diplomatic personnel in Namo were evacuated by the Namorese Armed Police.
Crashing of the Ethnic Minority Affairs Ministry building
At around the same time authorities were trying to recover from the debris and mess caused by Flight AN8484, a GreenCo. Vegetable truck, crashed into the building of the Ministry of Ethnic Minority Affairs in Namo, located only a few blocks away from the Aininian embassy. Because the truck was loaded with explosives, the crash was followed immediately by an explosion which caused the building to collapse. Some tourists who were next to the building were killed or injured in the crash.
Of the 30 staff members inside the building at the time of the crash, 18 were killed and the rest were injured. Minister Shi Jing was among those who were injured.
Air Namor Flight AN5144
A second Air Namor plane, Flight AN5144, was about to land on Namo International, but at the time it was also hijacked, forcing the plane to deviate from its path. Instead of flying towards Namo, the plane flew northward and crashed on an open field in the town of Sansan, in Southern Namor, around 50 km north of Capital District. All passengers aboard the plane, including the attackers, were killed. The Air Namor Flight AN5144 crash became the last of the three major incidents that made up the June 28 Attacks.
Investigators later retrieved the black box inside Flight AN5144 and found that the plane had been hijacked and was originally about to head towards Namo, but passengers wrestled control of the plane from the hijackers, thus explaining the abrupt change in the plane's route only a few minutes after the time of the hijacking. Lack of knowledge on operating a plane was the cause behind the plane's ultimate crash in spite of the fact that it had been free of the hijackers' control.
Aftermath
Namorese government response
President-General Alicia Wolf declared a state of emergency throughout Namor and suspended all powers delegated to the Namorese Central Council, reassigning them to the Ministry of Defense. All civilian aircraft were grounded to prevent another possible attack from happening. Wolf called the attacks a "stain on civilization" and vowed to "bring the perpetrators to the scales of justice." She added that "this is not a time for division and hatred, but a time of unity. Unity against reckless acts of terror and their sponsors, whoever they may be."
Immediately after the attacks, authorities began searching for the suspects. A Christian flag used by the Knights of Saint Luther was found inside the destroyed vegetable truck that crashed into the Ministry of Ethnic Minority Affairs building. Police found a copy of the Bible in Vasilije Vaso, the driver of the truck who was believed to be the ringleader of this specific attack. These findings were announced by the Ministry of Public Security which stated that "there is reason to suspect that the attacks were orchestrated by forces affiliated with Txotai independence," referring to the Otekian independence movement.
For "security reasons," authorities ordered the closure of all churches in Namo. The KGB arrested six people - all ethnic Otekians - as they were suspected to have been in touch with the attackers prior to the events of June 28.
When the Knights of Saint Luther formally claimed responsibility, President-General Wolf said Namor was "at war" with Otekian separatism.
We aren't surprised that the Knights, let alone any other separatist group, were the ones behind this. This is what their "self-determination" and "freedom" looks like - the slaughtering of hundreds of innocent people, some of whom were Otekians and Christians. My fellow Namorese, we are involved in an arduous struggle against a band of people who live by the sword and, by our efforts, will die by the sword. This isn't a time to pitch one ethnic group against another. This is a time to unite against the forces that want to see this country divided.
Knights of Saint Luther response to attacks
On June 29, Knights of Saint Luther commander Breuvi Chikmurdof made an appearance in a video titled "Knights Announcement In Response to the Operations in Namo" that was posted on the internet. In it, Chikmurdof claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying "Indeed, it was our brave fighters who struck fear into the hearts of the enemy in their own bedroom," referring to the capital Namo. He went on to call the attacks a form of retaliation against the Namorese government's "oppressive" policies against the Otekian people and the NMR 2355 Txotai status referendum which occurred prior to the attacks.
So many Otekians were evicted from their homes when the Namorese forces brutally crushed their rebellion. So many Christians were forced to renounce their faith and believe in the godless Liberationism promoted by the Namorese. So many Otekians were harassed by the Namorese government, which did everything it could to subjugate them, from shipping them to concentration camps to moving their own people into Otekian homes. For every action there is an equally devastating reaction. We urge the international community, especially the Namorese, to stop responding to our operations in an emotional manner, face the facts, and consider why these attacks happened. For we did not operate in Namo for no reason, we operated to save Otekian lives.
Chikmudof went on to praise the attackers who died as "martyrs" and said "they will be missed."
Otekian government-in-exile response
The Otekian government-in-exile led by President Yorskov Lhego reacted ambivalently towards the attacks. Lhego announced that "we neither condone nor condemn the attacks in Namor...Surely innocent lives did not deserve to be targeted, but the world should look at this objectively and realize how many of our innocents were killed the same way." The government-in-exile's reaction was widely condemned, although some suggested that its tepid justification of the Knights' actions signaled a divide between it and the Knights.
Some in the government-in-exile claimed that the attacks were a false flag operation by the Namorese government perpetrated to create an excuse to oppress Otekians. A spokesman for the government-in-exile later refuted these claims, saying "they don't represent our position on the matter."
Txotai
The newly-founded government of the Autonomous Republic of Txotai reported that it had arrested a group of "Knights sympathizers" who celebrated the attacks in the streets.
The attacks were condemned by Head of State Vang Lan and numerous community leaders. Prokhor Raven, a priest from St. Luther's Cathedral in Kusef, stated in an open letter addressed to "all Namorese and peoples of the world:"
On behalf of the Lutheran Catholic community in Txotai, we hope that everyone understands that Otekians do not support the attacks of June 28. The terrorists who committed this diabolical crime committed it on behalf of the separatists only. It is the separatist movement that all people should be holding accountable, not the Otekian population.
International Reaction
Feel free to add stuff (note: attacks happened June 28, 2013 OOC time)
- Template:Country data Chorea - Chorean Prime Minister Cho Ke-te paid condolences at the Namorese embassy in Olachoo. Cho called the attacks "disgusting," and said "I hope the Namorese people recover from this great tragedy...this was truly a senseless act of violence." 8 Chorean nationals died in the attacks - six of them were on Flight AN8484 and two were part of a tour group that was near the Ethnic Minority Affairs building when it was crashed.
Luziyca - President Breuvi Shjoraski condemned the attacks and paid condolences at the Namorese embassy in Bethlehem. Shjoraski stated that "these attacks cause harm to innocent people, and ultimately, everyone pays, not just people who may support Otekian sovereignty, but the ordinary Namorese as well." He also added that "I hope the people of Namor will overcome this tragedy, and sincerely hope that they will not be intimidated by terrorist attacks."- File:Flag of Megiddo Valley.PNG Megiddo Valley - President Matthew Esther condemned the attacks on June 29, visiting the Namor embassy in New Levi, Galilee and making a public speech. Esther called the attacks "horrific," and said "This is not just an attack on Namor, but an attack on our God given freedom." The city of New Levi had a moment of silence for 10 minutes. Head Director (James Otto) of the Megiddo Investigation Bureau condemned the attacks, and put the capital District of Olivet City on high alert, as well as New Levi.
- Template:Country data Qianrong - Qianrong did not recognize the People's Republic of Namor at the time of the attack, and thus did not issue any sort of condolence or apology until the 2015 anniversary, when Foreign Affairs Minister Siemyscza Vlasinov issued a short statement saying that the Qianrongese government "profoundly regretted" that condolences had not been issued earlier. The only Qianrongese organization to respond to the attacks at the time was the Otekian Qianrongese Association- led at the time by the same Siemyscza Vlasinov- which condemned "the terrorists who spill blood and slander the Otekian name."
- File:Flag of West Cedarbrook.jpg West Cedarbrook - President Issac Feld condemned the attacks on June 28, commenting "Our thoughts go out to the victims of this attack and to their families. It is hoped that the perpetrators will be caught and swiftly brought to justice". External Affairs Secretary Dr. Theodore Warshawsky paid a condolence visit to the Namorese embassy in Wrycova the next day.
- File:New jordyn 751203.jpg New Jordyn - Prime Minister Noah de Castro gave his condolences to the citizens of Namor and condemned the attacks the next day, stating on public broadcast that "Our hearts go out to Namor and its citizens, and our prayers are going out. This is not just an attack on Namor, but the international community. We will do anything to help Namor. I pray that whoever is behind the attack will face justice for their crimes against humanity," he also told citizens of New Jordyn "please donate food and blood to these hurting families by visiting the nearest international aide office of the New Jordyn Ministry of Foreign Affairs." The city of Pearis had a moment of silence for 20 minutes. The Pearis Towers' lights were turned off to honor victims of the attack.
