2. The Antwerp Synagogue Bombing
On the night of October 19, 1981, a van slowly drove into the Hoveniersstraat area of Antwerp and was abandoned outside a synagogue. At the time, the largely Jewish local community was in a state of high anxiety. Only a year before, a Lebanese gunman had rolled a grenade under a bus of schoolchildren in a mindless terror attack. Little did locals realize this would soon be eclipsed by an even deadlier event.
The following morning, the local synagogue was packed with worshipers attending a celebration of Simhath Torah. The service was due to begin just after the nearby shops opened, and the whole street was crowded. Then, moments before the celebrations could start, the van outside exploded. With a sickening roar, the blast tore through the street. Worshipers, shoppers, and local traders were all hit. Moments later, there were three dead bodies andover 100 people with horrific injuries. It was exactly one year since a near-identical bombing had shaken Paris. To date, no suspects have ever been charged.
Discussion about this post