NEWS: Explosion Heard Near British School & U.S. Embassy In Qatar; Suicide Car Bomb

Witnesses and a British embassy spokeswoman reported hearing a large blast in the vicinity of a British school and the U.S. Embassy in a suburb of Doha, Qatar. The cause of the explosion is unknown and injuries are being reported. No casualties have been reported as of yet. There has been no comment from the Qatar ministry.



Hopefully this is not a case of terrorism and is a gas explosion as some in the area have speculated. Qatar has been relatively peaceful and foreignors have not been the target of any recent voilence that I know of.
Different reports are coming in regards to casualities and injuries, varying from 14 to over 50 and the cause has still not been confirmed however, reports cite a possible car bomb.

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[edit on 3-20-2005 by worldwatcher]

BBC: Fatality in Qatari theatre blast

The blast went off inside the theatre

"At least 50 people, plus the cast, are believed to have been in the theatre at the time of the blast.

The audience is thought to have been a mix of foreigners and Arabs.

A US official and hospital workers were quoted by AP news agency as saying more than 50 people were taken to hospital after the incident.

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One is confirmed dead so far...

thanks for the update

anything more on the cause as of yet?

Originally posted by worldwatcher
thanks for the update

anything more on the cause as of yet?

BBC: "Witnesses have said the blast may have been a gas explosion.

But BBC Dubai correspondent Julia Wheeler says Western embassies put the threat from terrorism as high in Qatar, as al-Qaeda has publicly threatened to carry out attacks on Westerners living in the Arabian peninsula."

Just found this???? from an explosion, to gas explosion and now a car bomb??? woah it's looking like terrorism.

Car Bomb Tears Through Theater in Qatar, Killing One and Leaving 12 Hospitalized

A car bomb tore through a theater popular with Westerners during a performance Saturday in Qatar, killing one person, officials said.
Twelve other people were injured in the blast in the northern suburb, Qatar's Interior Ministry said in a statement. It gave no other details.

Earlier, Gen. Ahmed Al-Hariki of the Interior Ministry told Al-Jazeera television that the blast occurred at a restaurant inside the theater and was not close to an embassy or consulate.

[edit on 3-19-2005 by worldwatcher]

So far AP seems to be the only ones reporting car bomb. I have check several other sources, they hint at gas explosion, but none will define the source of the explosion.

reuters also now saying suicide car bomb, link above
couldn't even find this on FOX

[edit on 3-19-2005 by worldwatcher]

There you have it. A suicide car bomb. No spefics and the target from the source. They may have attempted the embassy, but if they were unable to get to it, the theatre was the backup.

Sad really

Sky news reports: British Man Killed In Qatar Theatre Explosion ...

I know the US government had issue warnings before for Qatar, but wasn't it hotels or something? These poor people were targetted and what probably was supposed to be an enjoyable evening for them. The death toll and the injury number is a little suspect though, no real clear number, I just hope in the end, it isn't too high.

The theatre appears to have been the target. Officials are saying that the car did hit the theatre. I guess what I question is whether or not it was the primary target. What with the embassy close by.

www.reuters.com
A member of the investigating team told Reuters a medium-sized vehicle had slammed into the one-storey building housing the theater, near a British school in Doha.

Brigadier General Ahmad al-Hayki of the Interior Ministry told Qatar-based Al Jazeera television the blast had struck the theater cafeteria, and that most of the wounded were Qataris, other Arabs and Asians.

Asked if the blast had any links to militant attacks in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Hayki said: "We do not want to precede events. We have started gathering evidence."

Anti-U.S. sentiment has been high in the region over the Iraq war and perceived U.S. support for Israel against the Palestinians.

Update, the story is a little clearer now, with 1 killed, 12 injured and the cause being a suicide car bomb:
Qatar Blames Egyptian for Suicide Bombing on Doha Theater That Killed One Briton

An Egyptian national carried out a suicide car bomb attack on a Doha theater popular with Westerners that killed one Briton, Qatar's interior minister said Sunday, according to the Al-Jazeera satellite news channel.

Al-Jazeera, which is based in Qatar, identified the suicide bomber as Omar Ahmed Abdullah, an Egyptian, and said he owned the car that exploded outside the Doha Players Theater during a Saturday night performance, killing one person and injuring 12 others.

Egyptian authorities have contacted their embassy in Doha seeking further details following claims that an Egyptian national carried out the attack, an Egyptian official in Cairo said on condition of anonymity.

The bombing came on the second anniversary of the start of the U.S.-led war in Iraq. It was unclear if the attack was timed to mark the war's commencement, but al-Qaida's leader in the Gulf urged militants this week to attack "crusaders" throughout the Gulf region.

In what is becoming a common Modus Operandi of terrorists, a video tape of the car bombing in Doha, Qatar was made. The terrorists have released the tape on the internet to promote their attack.

Northeast Intelligence Network
www.homelandsecurityus.com...
23 March 2005 This morning, a poster on several Arabic language message boards released video taped footage of Saturday's attack on the theatre in Doha, Qatar.

It is becoming more and more apparant that the videographer is an important part of a terror cell, as has been pointed out in various jihadi publications, and as analysts at the Northeast Intelligence Network have stated in the past. In fact, an individual with a camcorder may well provide the only advance warning of an imminent attack.