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The Canal Hotel Bombing in Baghdad , Iraq , in the afternoon of August 19 , 2003 , killed at least 22 people and wounded over 100. The blast targeted the United Nations , which had used the hotel as its headquarters in Iraq since 1991 . THE BOMBING The explosion occurred while Benon Sevan , director of the " Oil For Food Program ," was holding a press conference. Sevan was among the wounded. The Explosion damaged a Spinal Cord treatment center at the Hospital nearby and the Shockwave was felt a mile away. The blast was most likely caused by a Suicide Bomber driving a truck full of Explosive s. The vehicle has been identified as a large 2002 flatbed Kamaz (manufactured in Eastern Europe ; part of the former Iraqi establishment's fleet). Investigators in Iraq suspect the bomb was made from old munitions, including a single 500-pound bomb. The materials may have been from Iraq's prewar arsenal. Investigators comment that such items would not require any "great degree of sophistication" to assemble. There is speculation that Sérgio Vieira De Mello , the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, may have been specifically targeted in the blast due to the proximity of the explosion to his office. The UN building may have been chosen due to its limited security. The bombing was followed on September 22 , 2003 , by another car bomb outside the Canal Hotel. The blast killed the bomber and an Iraqi policeman and wounded 19 others, including UN workers. The second attack led to the withdrawal of some 600 UN international staff from Baghdad, along with employees of other aid agencies. In August 2004 , 80 or so international staffers returned along with about 180 troops to protect them. LIST OF VICTIMS
Marilyn Manuel, Philippines, a member of Vieira de Mello's staff originally listed as dead, stunned her family when she called home, not knowing they had been told she was dead. SUSPECTS As Of 2005 , the prime suspects in this bombing are followers of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi , who has purportedly claimed responsibility for this attack. In January 2005 , a top bombmaker for Zarqawi's group, Abu Omar Al-Kurdi , was captured by the coalition and claimed his associates made the bomb used in this attack. On December 16 , 2005, Iraqi authorities issued an Arrest Warrant for Mullah Halgurd Al-Khabir , a commander of Ansar Al-Sunna , in connection with the attack. Other suspects include:
An otherwise unknown group called the ''Armed Vanguards of the Second Mohammed Army'' claimed they were responsible for the attack. Investigators are focusing on the possibility that former Iraqi intelligence agents (working as security guards) may have assisted the attack. RESPONSES The suicide bombing of the United Nations in Baghdad drew overwhelming condemnation. Kofi Annan , United Nations Secretary-General, commented that the bombing would not stop the organization's efforts to rebuild Iraq, and said: "Nothing can excuse this act of unprovoked and murderous violence against men and women who went to Iraq for one purpose only: to help the Iraqi people recover their independence and sovereignty, and to rebuild their country as fast as possible, under leaders of their own choosing." SEE ALSO REFERENCES |