Target Synagogue Non-fatal injuries 106 Location Antwerp, Belgium Attack types Car bomb, Murder | Weapons Bomb Date 20 October 1981 Total number of deaths 3 | |
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Perpetrators Black September Organization | ||
On October 20, 1981, a truck bomb exploded outside a Portuguese Jewish synagogue in the centre of Antwerp, Belgium. Three people were killed and 106 wounded.
Bombing
The explosion blew in the doors and stained-glass windows of the synagogue and smashed storefronts and windows for blocks around. The bomb had been concealed in a delivery truck parked illegally overnight with one wheel removed, as if it had broken down. After the blast, only the vehicle's axels, glass and other debris remained.
The attack took place on a Tuesday morning in the diamond district of Antwerp, shortly before Simchat Torah religious services were to begin. It followed by one year the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing, which took place on the eve of Simchat Torah. The bombing was condemned as "diabolically wicked" by Belgian prime minister of the time, Mark Eyskens.
The Palestinian terror group Black September claimed responsibility for the attack.