Republication of Cartoon Sparks Attack on Danish Embassy

In Islamabad, Pakistan, at least 6 people died and 27 were wounded on June 1 in a car bomb attack on the Danish embassy. According to the Times Online, the republication of a blasphemous cartoon in Danish newspapers is believed to have precipitated the attack.



A car with diplomatic plates exploded in the parking area, destroying several vehicles as well as damaging part of a nearby building.

The cartoon in question depicts the prophet Mohammad wearing a turban-shaped bomb.



In March of this year, Jyllands-Posten, the Danish paper that originally published the editorial cartoon accused of being blasphemous, along with the papers Politiken and Berlingske Tidende, reprinted the cartoon. According to AP News, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's deputy leader, issued a decree on April 21 that called on Muslims to exact revenge. "I urge and incite every Muslim who can harm Denmark to do so in support of the Prophet," he declared in a video message.

It is still unclear as to whether the car bomb was the work of a suicide bomber or the result of a time-delayed or remotely controlled device.