| 2009 Nouakchott suicide bombing | |
| Location: | Nouakchott, Mauritania |
| Target: | Embassy of France |
| Date: | 8 August 2009 |
| Type: | Suicide bombing |
| Fatalities: | 1 (the perpetrator) |
| Injuries: | 3 |
| Perps: | al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb |
| Weapons: | Explosive belt |
The 2009 Nouakchott suicide bombing occurred in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, on August 8, 2009, outside the embassy of France. It was the first instance of a suicide bombing in the history of Mauritania.[1] The bombing killed the perpetrator and wounded three people.[2]
The attack occurred three weeks after Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz had claimed victory in the contested 2009 Mauritanian presidential election.[1] His inauguration took place on August 5, 2009, just three days before the Nouakchott bombing.[3]
Mauritania has witnessed a series of terrorist attacks against Western interests in recent years. Four French tourists were kidnapped and murdered in 2007.[1] On June 23, 2009, an American teacher, Christopher Logest, was shot and killed in an attack in Nouakchott.[1] The terrorist group, Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), claimed responsibility for both attacks.[1]
The attacker, a young man, was reportedly wearing a boubou, a traditional men's garment common in Mauritania and other regions of West Africa.[1] The bomber wore an explosive belt.[3]
The man blew himself up on the sidewalk between the French embassy and the Embassy of Libya at approximately 7:00 pm local time.[1] [3] While both embassies were near the suicide bombing, the target was clearly the French embassy.[1] The explosion did not damage the French embassy.[1]
Two employees of the French embassy, who were identified as paramilitary gendarmes, were jogging nearby at the time of the attack.[1] Both were hospitalized overnight with minor injuries.[1] One other person was slightly injured in the attack.[3]
The detonations marked the first time that a suicide bombing had taken place in Mauritania.[1]
The government of France announced an investigation of the terrorist attack.[1] The French government issued a statement promising to support Mauritanian authorities during the inquiry.[3]
The Mauritanian police identified the suicide bomber as a Mauritanian man born in 1987.[3] Authorities stated that the perpetrator had been "formally identified as a member of the Jihadist movement."[3]
The French Foreign Ministry condemned, "with the greatest firmness the attack ... in Nouakchott near the French embassy."[3]
The Mauritanian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs issued a statement expressing that it,