Sudermann mall attack
| Sudermann mall attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of Norcustsur conflict | |
| Location | Hartfer, Radictistan |
| Date | December 18, 2010 |
| Target | Sudermann Mall |
Attack type | Shootings |
| Deaths | 39, including three attackers |
Non-fatal injuries | 98 |
| Perpetrator | Communist Party of Radictistan |
On December 18, 2010 gunmen associated with the Communist Party of Radictistan, a Radictistani terrorist group, attacked the Sudermann Mall in the city of Hartfer, Norcustsur. The attack resulted in 39 deaths including those of three attackers. The attack was the second to be conducted by the KPR. The attack led to the declaration of a state of emergency in Norcustsur, paving the way for the first major deployment of Royal Radictistan Army personnel on internal security duties.
Background
On December 10, 2010 the Communist Party of Radictistan, a communist and vanguardist militant group began its armed campaign against the Radictistani government with the bombing of an office building and two district heating plants in the city of Hartfer. In the days that followed the Royal Security Police, Radictistan's national police agency, conducted an investigation alongside foreign liaisons.
Shootings
In the late morning of December 18th four gunmen pulled up to an entrance at the Sudermann Mall in Hartfer in a red pickup truck. Three of the men, two armed with assault rifles and a third with a PKM machine gun, entered the mall while two others remained outside. Those who had entered the building immediately began firing into the large crowds of shoppers present within the mall. The shooters advanced about one hundred meters into the mall while continuing to fire despite losing one man to return fire from mall security guards. A second gunmen was fatally shot, finally prompting the attackers to begin an orderly withdrawal back to their vehicle. A third gunmen was shot and killed while climbing into the pickup. The remaining gunmen escaped.
Escape
The surviving gunmen abandoned their vehicle six kilometers from the mall and continued on foot with personnel from the County of Norcustsur Police in pursuit. One of the three was shot by police. The other two made their way to the Virkamp blutstat, a major slum area of Hartfer, where they were given sanctuary by one of the local gangs.
Victims
The attack killed thirty-six people in addition to the three attackers. Ninety-eight people received non-fatal injuries. The dead included four mall security personnel. Also among the dead was Theodor Jentzen, a member of the Norcustsur Assembly.
Reactions
Government
The Lord Governor of Norcustsur, Jessica Saamuls, Baroness Hahlding formally requested that the Grand Duke declare a state of emergency for the county. A state of emergency was subsequently declared allowing for the deployment of Royal Radictistan Army troops in the internal security role. The army assisted the Royal Security Police and the County of Norcustsur Police in sealing off the Freifelg and Virkamp blutstats. The quarantine was ineffective and lasted for only sixty-one days before being discontinued.