Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing

Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing
View of the hotel after the attack
LocationIslamabad, Pakistan
Coordinates33°43′58″N 73°05′14″E / 33.7328°N 73.0871°E / 33.7328; 73.0871
Date20 September 2008; 16 years ago (2008-09-20)
19:56.[1] (UTC+05:00)
Attack type
Suicide attack, truck bombing
Deaths54[2]
Injured266[3]
PerpetratorsUnknown

The Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing occurred on the night of 20 September 2008, when a dumper truck filled with explosives was detonated in front of the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, killing at least 54 people, injuring at least 266 and leaving a 60 ft (20 m) wide, 20 ft (6 m) deep crater outside the hotel.[4] The majority of the casualties were Pakistanis; at least five foreign nationals were also killed and fifteen others reported injured. The attack occurred only hours after President Asif Ali Zardari made his first speech to the Pakistani parliament.[5] The Marriott was the most prestigious hotel in the capital, and was located near government buildings, diplomatic missions, embassies and high commissions.[6]

During the investigation, three suspected terrorists were arrested by the Pakistani police. They were suspected of having facilitated the suicide bomber. However later they were acquitted of all charges as no evidence was ever presented against them.

Only a few months after the hotel's bombing owner Sadruddin Hashwani had arranged a re-construction, and the Islamabad Marriott reopened officially on 28 December 2008.[7] It is one of the worst terrorist attacks in the history of Pakistan.[8]

  1. ^ "60 killed in Islamabad suicide attack". The Bihar Times. 21 September 2008. Archived from the original on 24 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  2. ^ "Suicide attacks kill 1,188 in Pakistan since '07". Associated Press. 29 September 2008. Archived from the original on 28 October 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
  3. ^ "Bomb rocks Islamabad hotel, at least 60 dead". The Times of India. 20 September 2008. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  4. ^ Masood, Salman (21 September 2008). "More Bodies Pulled From Hotel Rubble in Pakistan". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2008.
  5. ^ Rupert, James; Farhan Sharif (20 September 2008). "Islamabad Marriott Hotel Blast Leaves 40 People Dead". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Marriott in Pakistan reopens after deadly bombing". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  8. ^ "Official: Hotel blast 'biggest attack' in 7 years for Pakistan - CNN.com". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 28 March 2024.