West Berlin discotheque bombing: Difference between revisions

West Berlin discotheque bombing
West Berlin discotheque bombing
Part of terrorism in Germany
	Roxy-Palast, the building in which the discotheque La Belle was located
Location	Hauptstraße 78, Bezirk Schöneberg, West Berlin, West Germany
Coordinates	52°28′23″N 13°20′12″E / 52.47306°N 13.33667°E
Date	5 April 1986; 38 years ago ; 1:45 a.m. (CET/CEST)
Attack type	Bombing
Weapons	Plastic explosive
Deaths	3 (2 US soldiers, 1 Turkish civilian)
Injured	229
Perpetrators	Verena Chanaa, Yasir Shraydi, Musbah Eter, Ali Chanaa

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On 5 April 1986, three people were killed and 229 injured when La Belle discothèque was bombed in the Friedenau locality (then part of Schöneberg, and since 2001 part of the merged district of Tempelhof-Schöneberg) of West Berlin. The entertainment venue was commonly frequented by United States soldiers;^[2]^[3] two of the dead and 79 of the injured were Americans.^[1]

Libya was accused by the US government of sponsoring the bombing, before US president Ronald Reagan ordered retaliatory strikes on Tripoli and Benghazi in Libya ten days later. The operation was widely seen as an attempt to kill colonel Muammar Gaddafi.^[4] However, in the bombing's aftermath, this claim was met with widespread skepticism. In 1987, Manfred Ganschow, the head of the West German team investigating the bombing, said that there was no evidence pointing towards Libya, a belief which was corroborated by numerous intelligence agencies in Europe at the time, according to a BBC report.^[5]^: 81 In 2001, following a four-year German trial called murky,^[2] marred by what the court called a "limited willingness" by the American and German governments to share evidence,^[2]^[1] it was found that the bombing had been "planned by the Libyan Intelligence Service and the Libyan embassy",^[1] but absolved Gaddafi of responsibility.^[2]^[1]^[6]

Background

Memorial plaque reading, "On the 5th of April, 1986, young people were murdered inside this building by a criminal bombing."

The bombing came at a time of heightened tension between the United States and Libya, which first escalated in the early 1980s.^[5]^: 77–78 These tensions drastically escalated in early 1986, when US forces repeatedly flew planes over the Gulf of Sidra.^[5]^: 78 Libyan forces subsequently fired upon American planes,^[5]^: 78 which led to an American bombing campaign.^[1] Two weeks before the bombing, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi called for Arab assaults on American interests worldwide after said bombing, in which 35 seamen on a Libyan patrol boat in the western Gulf of Sidra were killed in international waters claimed by the Libyan government.^{[citation needed]}

The site of the bombing, a discothèque known as La Belle, was known to be a popular spot for American troops in West Germany.^[2]^[3]

Attack

A bomb placed under a table near the disc jockey's booth exploded at 01:45 CET. An eyewitness testified that he had walked outside of the club prior to the bomb going off and the blast knocking him back. He righted himself and went inside to find his wife and joined many individuals who were attempting to help those near the blast.^[7]

The blast destroyed a large portion of the floor, causing many to fall into the cellar underneath the dance floor.^[8]

Victims

The explosion instantly killed a Turkish woman, Nermin Hannay, and US Army Sergeant Kenneth T. Ford. A second American sergeant, James E. Goins, died from his injuries two months later.^[9]^[10]

The blast injured at least 230 individuals which included more than 50 American services members, as it was a popular hangout spot for service members.^[8] Some of the victims were left permanently disabled due to the injuries caused by the explosion.^[1]

Blame and retribution

Almost immediately after the bombing, the American government, led by then-president Ronald Reagan, placed the blame on Libya.^[5]^: 77–80 However, the West German team investigating the bombing had not found any evidence of Libyan involvement, and other intelligence agencies throughout Europe also did not find evidence of Libyan involvement.^[5]^: 81 Nine days after the bombing, Reagan ordered airstrikes against the Libyan capital of Tripoli,^[5]^: 79–80 and city of Benghazi.^[11]^[12] At least 30 soldiers and 15 civilians were killed.^[2]^[13]^[14] Gaddafi's adopted infant daughter Hana was reported killed,^[15]^[16] although the claim, and even her existence, have been disputed.^[17]^[18]

Following the reunification of Germany, archives from the Stasi in East Germany were made available, which led to Libyan embassy worker Musbah Eter, who would later be indicted for aiding and abetting attempted murder.^[2]

In 2001, a court in Germany found that the bombing had been "planned by the Libyan secret service and the Libyan Embassy", and convicted four people suspected to be involved with the attack, including two workers at the Libyan embassy in East Germany.^[1] However, in their ruling, the court presiding over the trial complained that their decision was hindered by "the limited willingness" of the German and American governments to share intelligence,^[1] and the trial was called "murky" by BBC News.^[2] Notably, the trial failed to prove the involvement of then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.^[2]^[1]^[6]

Trial and conviction

In spite of reports blaming Libya for the attack on the nightclub, no individual was officially accused of the bombing until the 1990 reunification of Germany and the subsequent opening up of the Stasi archives.^[2] Stasi files led German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis to Musbah Abdulghasem Eter, a Libyan who had worked at the Libyan embassy in East Berlin.^[2] Stasi files listed him as an agent, and Mehlis said he was the Libyan spy agency's main contact at the embassy.^[2]

Beginning in 1996, a number of suspects were extradited to Germany. Yasser Mohammed Chreidi, a Palestinian man accused of being the plot's "mastermind", was extradited from Lebanon to Germany on May 24 in connection with the bombing.^[3] Chreidi was said to be a "suspected activist of the Fatah-Revolutionary Council" headed by Abu Nidal,^[3] who used to live in Tripoli and was financed by Libya in the 1980s.^[19] Eter was reported to be the Libyan spy agency's point man at the embassy in East Berlin.^[20]^[21]

Eter and four other suspects were arrested in 1996 in Lebanon, Italy, Greece, and Berlin, and put on trial a year later. Eventually, a four year trial in Germany, which ended in 2001, found that the bombing had been "planned by the Libyan secret service and the Libyan Embassy", and convicted four people suspected to be involved with the attack: German citizen Verena Chanaa was found guilty of murder, after carrying a bag with the bomb used for the attack into La Belle; Yasir Shraydi, a Palestinian worker at the Libyan embassy in East Berlin, was convicted of attempted murder; Musbah Eter was found guilty of being an accomplice; Ali Chanaa, Verena Chanaa's ex-husband, was also found guilty.^[1] A fifth defendant, Andrea Häusler, who accompanied Verena Chanaa to the club, was acquitted after prosecutors failed to prove she had known that the bomb used in the attack was in Chanaa's bag.^[1] Verena Chanaa and Yasir Shraydi were sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Musbah Eter and Ali Chanaa were sentenced to 12 years.^[22]

The court found that the three men had assembled the bomb in the Chanaa's flat.^[2] The explosive was said to have been brought into West Berlin in a Libyan diplomatic bag.^[23] The court also notably ruled that prosecutors failed to demonstrate involvement in the bombing by Muammar Gaddafi.^[2]^[1]^[6]

Compensation

On 17 August 2003, newspapers reported that Libya had signaled to the German government that it was ready to negotiate compensation for the bombing with lawyers for non-U.S. victims.^[24] A year later, on 10 August 2004, Libya concluded an agreement to pay a total of $35 million compensation to non-US citizens.^[25]

In October 2008, Libya paid $1.5 billion into a fund to compensate relatives of:

Lockerbie bombing victims with the remaining 20% of the sum agreed in 2003;
American victims of the West Berlin discotheque bombing;
American victims of the 1989 UTA Flight 772 bombing; and,
Libyan victims of the 1986 US bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi.^[26]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Erlanger, Steven (14 November 2001). "4 Guilty in Fatal 1986 Berlin Disco Bombing Linked to Libya". New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Malinarich, Nathalie (13 November 2001). "Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing". BBC News. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "World News Briefs;Lebanon Hands Suspect Over to German Court". New York Times. 24 May 1996. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
^ "Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing". BBC News. 13 November 2001. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Chomsky, Noam (2002). Understanding power : the indispensable Chomsky. Peter R. Mitchell, John Schoeffel. New York: New Press. ISBN 1-56584-703-2. OCLC 46936001.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Four jailed by Berlin court for disco bombing". The Irish Times. 13 November 2001. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
^ "Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the US; Claim No. LIB-I-003 Decision No. LIB-I-044" (PDF). Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the US; US Department of Justice Washington, DC. 16 December 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2021 – via US Department of Justice.
^ ^a ^b Scheschkewitz, Daniel. "Berlin's La Belle nightclub bombing remembered 25 years on | DW | 04.04.2011". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
^ "Second U.S. Soldier Dies from Disco Bombing". Associated Press. 8 June 1986. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
^ "Body of disco victim flown home for burial". Newark Star-Ledger. 10 June 1986.
^ "U.S. planes bomb Libya, April 15, 1986". POLITICO. 15 April 2019. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
^ "For Reagan, Gadhafi Was A Frustrating 'Mad Dog'". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
^ 1986: US launches air strikes on Libya Archived 20 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine| bbc.co.uk
^ Apr 14, 1986: U.S. bombs Libya Archived 3 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine This Day in History
^ Flade, Florian (6 August 2011). "Libyscher Clan: Gaddafis Kinder – Totgesagte leben länger". DIE WELT (in German). Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
^ "Is Gaddafi's Daughter, Believed Killed by a U.S. Air Strike, Alive and Well?". Time. 12 August 2011. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
^ "Gaddafi's daughter Hana: dead or a practising doctor?". The Guardian. 26 August 2011. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
^ Flock, Elizabeth (26 August 2011). "Gaddafi's daughter Hana's death in 1986 all a hoax?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
^ "Muammar Qaddafi and Libya's Legacy of Terrorism". FRONTLINE. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
^ Beirut liefert aus : Textarchiv : Berliner Zeitung Archiv
^ Anker, Jens (11 August 2004). "Entschädigung nach 18 Jahren". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
^ Finn, Peter (14 November 2001). "4 Convicted in '86 Berlin Nightclub Bombing". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
^ "BGH 5 StR 306/03 – 24. Juni 2004 (LG Berlin) · hrr-strafrecht.de". Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
^ GmbH, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "Aktuelle Nachrichten online". Archived from the original on 18 April 2001. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
^ "German Missions in the United States – Home". Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
^ "Libya compensates terror victims". BBC News. 31 October 2008. Archived from the original on 3 November 2008. Retrieved 1 November 2008.

Notes

^ The political status of West Berlin was subject to controversy throughout its existence but de facto it operated as a federal state of West Germany.

External links

[linked-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Erlanger, Steven (14 November 2001). "4 Guilty in Fatal 1986 Berlin Disco Bombing Linked to Libya". New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2013.

[malinarich2001-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Malinarich, Nathalie (13 November 2001). "Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing". BBC News. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2010.

[:2-4] "World News Briefs;Lebanon Hands Suspect Over to German Court". New York Times. 24 May 1996. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 22 October 2020.

[5] "Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing". BBC News. 13 November 2001. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2020.

[:1-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Chomsky, Noam (2002). Understanding power : the indispensable Chomsky. Peter R. Mitchell, John Schoeffel. New York: New Press. ISBN 1-56584-703-2. OCLC 46936001.

[:3-7] "Four jailed by Berlin court for disco bombing". The Irish Times. 13 November 2001. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2021.

[8] "Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the US; Claim No. LIB-I-003 Decision No. LIB-I-044" (PDF). Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the US; US Department of Justice Washington, DC. 16 December 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2021 – via US Department of Justice.

[:0-9] Scheschkewitz, Daniel. "Berlin's La Belle nightclub bombing remembered 25 years on | DW | 04.04.2011". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2021.

[10] "Second U.S. Soldier Dies from Disco Bombing". Associated Press. 8 June 1986. Retrieved 12 February 2020.

[11] "Body of disco victim flown home for burial". Newark Star-Ledger. 10 June 1986.

[12] "U.S. planes bomb Libya, April 15, 1986". POLITICO. 15 April 2019. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

[13] "For Reagan, Gadhafi Was A Frustrating 'Mad Dog'". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

[14] 1986: US launches air strikes on Libya Archived 20 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine| bbc.co.uk

[15] Apr 14, 1986: U.S. bombs Libya Archived 3 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine This Day in History

[16] Flade, Florian (6 August 2011). "Libyscher Clan: Gaddafis Kinder – Totgesagte leben länger". DIE WELT (in German). Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

[17] "Is Gaddafi's Daughter, Believed Killed by a U.S. Air Strike, Alive and Well?". Time. 12 August 2011. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

[18] "Gaddafi's daughter Hana: dead or a practising doctor?". The Guardian. 26 August 2011. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

[19] Flock, Elizabeth (26 August 2011). "Gaddafi's daughter Hana's death in 1986 all a hoax?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

[20] "Muammar Qaddafi and Libya's Legacy of Terrorism". FRONTLINE. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

[21] Beirut liefert aus : Textarchiv : Berliner Zeitung Archiv

[22] Anker, Jens (11 August 2004). "Entschädigung nach 18 Jahren". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2016.

[23] Finn, Peter (14 November 2001). "4 Convicted in '86 Berlin Nightclub Bombing". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2022.

[24] "BGH 5 StR 306/03 – 24. Juni 2004 (LG Berlin) · hrr-strafrecht.de". Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.

[25] GmbH, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "Aktuelle Nachrichten online". Archived from the original on 18 April 2001. Retrieved 23 December 2016.

[26] "German Missions in the United States – Home". Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2016.

[27] "Libya compensates terror victims". BBC News. 31 October 2008. Archived from the original on 3 November 2008. Retrieved 1 November 2008.

[1] The political status of West Berlin was subject to controversy throughout its existence but de facto it operated as a federal state of West Germany.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|April 1986 bomb at discotheque in West Berlin, West Germany}}
+{{Short description|1986 attack in West Germany}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
 {{Infobox civilian attack
@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 | partof      = [[terrorism in Germany]]
 | image       = Roxy frontal.jpg
-| caption     = ''Roxy-Palast'', the building in which the discotheque ''La Belle'' was located
+| caption     = Roxy-Palast, the building in which the discotheque La Belle was located
-| location    = Hauptstraße 78, [[West Berlin]], [[West Germany]]
+| location    = Hauptstraße 78, [[Schöneberg|Bezirk Schöneberg]], [[West Berlin]], [[West Germany]]{{Efn|The political status of [[West Berlin]] was subject to controversy throughout its existence but de facto it operated as a federal state of West Germany.}}
-| coordinates = {{Coord|52|28|23|N|13|20|12|E|}}
+| coordinates = {{Coord|52|28|23|N|13|20|12|E|type:event_region:DE-BE|display=inline,title}}
 | date        = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1986|04|05}}
 | time        = 1:45&nbsp;a.m.
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 }}
+On 5 April 1986, three people were killed and 229 injured when La Belle [[Nightclub|discothèque]] was bombed in the [[Friedenau]] locality (then part of [[Schöneberg]], and since 2001 part of the merged district of [[Tempelhof-Schöneberg]])  of [[West Berlin]]. The entertainment venue was commonly frequented by [[United States]] soldiers;<ref name="malinarich2001">{{cite news|last=Malinarich|first=Nathalie|date=13 November 2001|title=Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1653848.stm|access-date=8 February 2010|archive-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927070405/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1653848.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web|date=24 May 1996|title=World News Briefs;Lebanon Hands Suspect Over to German Court|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/24/world/world-news-briefs-lebanon-hands-suspect-over-to-german-court.html|newspaper=New York Times|access-date=22 October 2020|archive-date=5 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405001947/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/24/world/world-news-briefs-lebanon-hands-suspect-over-to-german-court.html|url-status=live}}</ref> two of the dead and 79 of the injured were [[Americans]].<ref name="linked">{{cite news|last=Erlanger|first=Steven|date=14 November 2001|title=4 Guilty in Fatal 1986 Berlin Disco Bombing Linked to Libya|newspaper=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/14/world/4-guilty-in-fatal-1986-berlin-disco-bombing-linked-to-libya.html|access-date=19 August 2013|archive-date=15 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915074443/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/14/world/4-guilty-in-fatal-1986-berlin-disco-bombing-linked-to-libya.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
-[[File:La Belle-Gedenktafel.JPG|thumb|Memorial plaque reading, "On the 5th of April, 1986, young people were murdered inside this building by a criminal bombing."]]
+[[Libya]] was accused by the [[Federal government of the United States|US government]] of sponsoring the bombing, before [[President of the United States|US president]] [[Ronald Reagan]] ordered [[1986 United States bombing of Libya|retaliatory strikes]] on [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] and [[Benghazi]] in Libya ten days later. The operation was widely seen as an attempt to kill colonel [[Muammar Gaddafi]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1653848.stm |title=Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing |date=2001-11-13 |work=BBC News |access-date=2020-04-02 |df=dmy-all |archive-date=27 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927070405/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1653848.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> However, in the bombing's aftermath, this claim was met with widespread skepticism. In 1987, Manfred Ganschow, the head of the [[West Germany|West German]] team investigating the bombing, said that there was no evidence pointing towards Libya, a belief which was corroborated by numerous intelligence agencies in Europe at the time, according to a [[BBC]] report.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Chomsky|first=Noam|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/46936001|title=Understanding power : the indispensable Chomsky|date=2002|publisher=New Press|others=Peter R. Mitchell, John Schoeffel|isbn=1-56584-703-2|location=New York|oclc=46936001}}</ref>{{Rp|page=81}} In 2001, following a four-year [[Germany|German]] trial called murky,<ref name="malinarich2001" /> marred by what the court called a "limited willingness" by the American and German governments to share evidence,<ref name="malinarich2001" /><ref name="linked" /> it was found that the bombing had been "planned by the [[Libyan Intelligence Service]] and the [[Libyan embassy]]",<ref name=linked/> but absolved Gaddafi of responsibility.<ref name="malinarich2001" /><ref name="linked" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite news|date=2001-11-13|title=Four jailed by Berlin court for disco bombing|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/four-jailed-by-berlin-court-for-disco-bombing-1.403572|access-date=2021-10-13|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|language=en|archive-date=19 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119125911/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/four-jailed-by-berlin-court-for-disco-bombing-1.403572|url-status=live}}</ref>
-On 5 April 1986, three people were killed and 229 injured when ''La Belle'' [[discothèque]] was bombed in the [[Friedenau]] district of [[West Berlin]]. The entertainment venue was commonly frequented by [[United States]] soldiers,<ref name="malinarich2001">{{cite news|last=Malinarich|first=Nathalie|date=13 November 2001|title=Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1653848.stm}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{cite web|date=24 May 1996|title=World News Briefs;Lebanon Hands Suspect Over to German Court|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/24/world/world-news-briefs-lebanon-hands-suspect-over-to-german-court.html|newspaper=New York Times}}</ref> and two of the dead and 79 of the injured were [[Americans]].<ref name="linked">{{cite news|last=Erlanger|first=Steven|date=14 November 2001|title=4 Guilty in Fatal 1986 Berlin Disco Bombing Linked to Libya|newspaper=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/14/world/4-guilty-in-fatal-1986-berlin-disco-bombing-linked-to-libya.html|access-date=19 August 2013}}</ref>
-[[Libya]] was accused by the [[US government]] of sponsoring the bombing, and [[US President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] ordered [[1986 United States bombing of Libya|retaliatory strikes]] on [[Tripoli]] and [[Benghazi]] in Libya ten days later. The operation was widely seen as an attempt to kill Colonel [[Muammar Gaddafi]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1653848.stm |title=Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing |date=2001-11-13 |work=BBC News |access-date=2020-04-02 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> However, in the bombing's aftermath, this claim was met with widespread skepticism. In 1987, Manfred Ganschow, the head of the [[West Germany|West German]] team investigating the bombing, said that there was no evidence pointing the finger at Libya, a belief which was corroborated by numerous intelligence agencies in Europe at the time, according to a [[BBC]] report.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Chomsky|first=Noam|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/46936001|title=Understanding power : the indispensable Chomsky|date=2002|publisher=New Press|others=Peter R. Mitchell, John Schoeffel|isbn=1-56584-703-2|location=New York|oclc=46936001}}</ref>{{Rp|page=81}} In 2001, following a four-year [[Germany|German]] trial called murky,<ref name="malinarich2001" /> and marred by what the court called a "limited willingness" by the American and German governments to share evidence,<ref name="malinarich2001" /><ref name="linked" /> a court found that the bombing had been "planned by the [[Libyan Intelligence Service]] and the [[Libyan embassy]]",<ref name=linked/> but absolved Gaddafi of responsibility.<ref name="malinarich2001" /><ref name="linked" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=2001-11-13|title=Four jailed by Berlin court for disco bombing|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/four-jailed-by-berlin-court-for-disco-bombing-1.403572|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-13|website=[[The Irish Times]]|language=en}}</ref>
 ==Background==
+[[File:La Belle-Gedenktafel.JPG|thumb|Memorial plaque reading, "On the 5th of April, 1986, young people were murdered inside this building by a criminal bombing."]]
 The bombing came at a time of heightened tension between the [[United States]] and [[History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi|Libya]], which first escalated in the early 1980s.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=77–78}} These tensions drastically escalated in early 1986, when US forces repeatedly flew planes over the [[Gulf of Sidra]].<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=|page=78}} Libyan forces subsequently fired upon American planes,<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|pages=|page=78}} which led to an American [[Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986)|bombing campaign]].<ref name="linked" /> Two weeks before the bombing, Libyan leader [[Muammar Gaddafi]] called for [[Arabs|Arab]] assaults on American interests worldwide after said bombing, in which 35 seamen on a Libyan patrol boat in the western Gulf of Sidra were killed in international waters claimed by the Libyan government.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}
@@ Line 33: / Line 32: @@
 == Attack ==
-A bomb placed under a table near the [[disc jockey]]'s booth exploded at 01:45 [[Central European Time|CET]]. An eyewitness testified that he had walked outside of the club prior to the bomb going off and the blast knocking him back. He righted himself and went inside to find his wife and joined many individuals who were attempting to help those near the blast.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=December 16, 2011|title=Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the US; Claim No. LIB-I-003 Decision No. LIB-I-044|url=https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/fcsc/docs/LIB-I-003-FD-PD.pdf|journal=Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the US; US Department of Justice Washington, DC|via=US Department of Justice}}</ref>
+A bomb placed under a table near the [[disc jockey]]'s booth exploded at 01:45 [[Central European Time|CET]]. An eyewitness testified that he had walked outside of the club prior to the bomb going off and the blast knocking him back. He righted himself and went inside to find his wife and joined many individuals who were attempting to help those near the blast.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=December 16, 2011|title=Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the US; Claim No. LIB-I-003 Decision No. LIB-I-044|url=https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/fcsc/docs/LIB-I-003-FD-PD.pdf|journal=Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the US; US Department of Justice Washington, DC|via=US Department of Justice|access-date=22 September 2021|archive-date=13 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613032712/https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/fcsc/docs/LIB-I-003-FD-PD.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
-The blast destroyed a large portion of the floor, causing many to fall into the cellar underneath the dance floor.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Scheschkewitz|first=Daniel|title=Berlin's La Belle nightclub bombing remembered 25 years on {{!}} DW {{!}} 04.04.2011|url=https://www.dw.com/en/berlins-la-belle-nightclub-bombing-remembered-25-years-on/a-14965254|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-22|website=DW.COM|language=en-GB}}</ref>
+The blast destroyed a large portion of the floor, causing many to fall into the cellar underneath the dance floor.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Scheschkewitz|first=Daniel|title=Berlin's La Belle nightclub bombing remembered 25 years on {{!}} DW {{!}} 04.04.2011|url=https://www.dw.com/en/berlins-la-belle-nightclub-bombing-remembered-25-years-on/a-14965254|access-date=2021-09-22|website=DW.COM|language=en-GB|archive-date=13 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613032716/https://www.dw.com/en/berlins-la-belle-nightclub-bombing-remembered-25-years-on/a-14965254|url-status=live}}</ref>
 == Victims ==
-It instantly killed [[US Army]] sergeant Kenneth T. Ford and a [[Turks in Germany|Turkish]] woman, Nermin Hannay. A second US Army sergeant, James E. Goins, died from his injuries two months later.<ref>{{cite web |title=Second U.S. Soldier Dies from Disco Bombing |url=https://apnews.com/65d7ca6f461f4c7a8efd8c6d290e3b29 |website=AP News |publisher=The Associated Press |access-date=12 February 2020 |date=8 June 1986}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5955147/james-e-goins#view-photo=184328802|title=Body of disco victim flown home for burial|date=June 10, 1986|work=Newark Star-Ledger|access-date=February 1, 2020}}</ref>
+The explosion instantly killed a [[Turks in Germany|Turkish]] woman, Nermin Hannay, and [[US Army]] Sergeant Kenneth T. Ford. A second American sergeant, James E. Goins, died from his injuries two months later.<ref>{{cite web |title=Second U.S. Soldier Dies from Disco Bombing |url=https://apnews.com/65d7ca6f461f4c7a8efd8c6d290e3b29 |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=12 February 2020 |date=8 June 1986}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Body of disco victim flown home for burial|date=June 10, 1986|work=Newark Star-Ledger}}</ref>
 The blast injured at least 230 individuals which included more than 50 American services members, as it was a popular hangout spot for service members.<ref name=":0" /> Some of the victims were left permanently disabled due to the injuries caused by the explosion.<ref name="linked" />
 ==Blame and retribution==
-Almost immediately after the bombing, the [[Federal government of the United States|American government]], led by then-[[President of the United States|president]] [[Ronald Reagan]], placed the blame on [[History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi|Libya]].<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=|pages=77–80}} However, the [[West Germany|West German]] team investigating the bombing hadn't found any evidence of Libyan involvement, and other intelligence agencies throughout [[Europe]] also did not find evidence of Libyan involvement.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=81}} Nine days after the bombing, Reagan [[1986 United States bombing of Libya|ordered airstrikes]] against the Libyan capital of [[Tripoli]],<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=|pages=79–80}} and city of [[Benghazi]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} At least 30 soldiers and 15 civilians were killed.<ref name="malinarich2001" /><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/15/newsid_3975000/3975455.stm 1986: US launches air strikes on Libya]| bbc.co.uk</ref><ref>[http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-bombs-libya Apr 14, 1986: U.S. bombs Libya] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903123315/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-bombs-libya|date=3 September 2018}} This Day in History</ref>
+Almost immediately after the bombing, the [[Federal government of the United States|American government]], led by then-[[President of the United States|president]] [[Ronald Reagan]], placed the blame on [[History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi|Libya]].<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=|pages=77–80}} However, the [[West Germany|West German]] team investigating the bombing had not found any evidence of Libyan involvement, and other intelligence agencies throughout [[Europe]] also did not find evidence of Libyan involvement.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=81}} Nine days after the bombing, Reagan [[1986 United States bombing of Libya|ordered airstrikes]] against the Libyan capital of [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]],<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=|pages=79–80}} and city of [[Benghazi]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. planes bomb Libya, April 15, 1986 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/15/reagan-bomb-libya-april-15-1986-1272788 |access-date=2022-10-10 |website=POLITICO |date=15 April 2019 |language=en |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613032901/https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/15/reagan-bomb-libya-april-15-1986-1272788 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=For Reagan, Gadhafi Was A Frustrating 'Mad Dog' |language=en |work=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/03/04/134228864/for-reagan-gadhafi-was-a-frustrating-mad-dog |access-date=2022-10-10 |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613032745/https://www.npr.org/2011/03/04/134228864/for-reagan-gadhafi-was-a-frustrating-mad-dog |url-status=live }}</ref> At least 30 soldiers and 15 civilians were killed.<ref name="malinarich2001" /><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/15/newsid_3975000/3975455.stm 1986: US launches air strikes on Libya] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720121141/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/15/newsid_3975000/3975455.stm |date=20 July 2011 }}| bbc.co.uk</ref><ref>[http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-bombs-libya Apr 14, 1986: U.S. bombs Libya] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903123315/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-bombs-libya|date=3 September 2018}} This Day in History</ref> Gaddafi's adopted infant daughter Hana was reported killed,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Flade |first=Florian |date=2011-08-06 |title=Libyscher Clan: Gaddafis Kinder – Totgesagte leben länger |language=de |work=DIE WELT |url=https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article13530021/Gaddafis-Kinder-Totgesagte-leben-laenger.html |access-date=2022-10-10 |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613032837/https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article13530021/Gaddafis-Kinder-Totgesagte-leben-laenger.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Is Gaddafi's Daughter, Believed Killed by a U.S. Air Strike, Alive and Well? |url=http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2088074,00.html |language=en-US |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=2011-08-12 |access-date=2022-10-10 |issn=0040-781X |archive-date=28 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228031852/http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2088074,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> although the claim, and even her existence, have been disputed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-08-26 |title=Gaddafi's daughter Hana: dead or a practising doctor? |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/26/hana-gaddafi-daughter-mystery |access-date=2022-10-10 |work=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613032856/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/26/hana-gaddafi-daughter-mystery |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Flock |first=Elizabeth |date=2011-08-26 |title=Gaddafi's daughter Hana's death in 1986 all a hoax? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/gaddafis-daughter-hanas-death-in-1986-all-a-hoax/2011/08/26/gIQAaUVFgJ_blog.html |access-date=2022-10-10 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |archive-date=8 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200108084927/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/gaddafis-daughter-hanas-death-in-1986-all-a-hoax/2011/08/26/gIQAaUVFgJ_blog.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
-Following the [[German reunification|reunification of Germany]], archives from the Libyan embassy in [[East Germany]] were made available, which led to Libyan embassy worker Musbah Eter, who would later be indicted for aiding and abetting attempted murder.<ref name="malinarich2001" />
+Following the [[German reunification|reunification of Germany]], archives from the [[Stasi]] in [[East Germany]] were made available, which led to Libyan embassy worker Musbah Eter, who would later be indicted for aiding and abetting attempted murder.<ref name="malinarich2001" />
-In 2001, a court in [[Germany]] found that the bombing had been "planned by the Libyan secret service and the Libyan Embassy", and convicted four people suspected to be involved with the attack, including two workers at the Libyan embassy in East Germany.<ref name="linked" /> However, in their ruling, the court presiding over the trial complained that their decision was hindered by <nowiki>''the limited willingness''</nowiki> of the German and American governments to share intelligence,<ref name="linked" /> and the trial was called "murky" by [[BBC News]].<ref name="malinarich2001" /> Notably, the trial failed to prove the involvement of then-Libyan leader [[Muammar Gaddafi]].<ref name="malinarich2001" /><ref name="linked" /><ref name=":3" />
+In 2001, a court in [[Germany]] found that the bombing had been "planned by the Libyan secret service and the Libyan Embassy", and convicted four people suspected to be involved with the attack, including two workers at the Libyan embassy in East Germany.<ref name="linked" /> However, in their ruling, the court presiding over the trial complained that their decision was hindered by "the limited willingness" of the German and American governments to share intelligence,<ref name="linked" /> and the trial was called "murky" by [[BBC News]].<ref name="malinarich2001" /> Notably, the trial failed to prove the involvement of then-Libyan leader [[Muammar Gaddafi]].<ref name="malinarich2001" /><ref name="linked" /><ref name=":3" />
 ==Trial and conviction==
 In spite of reports blaming Libya for the attack on the nightclub, no individual was officially accused of the bombing until the 1990 reunification of Germany and the subsequent opening up of the [[Stasi]] archives.<ref name="malinarich2001"/> Stasi files led German prosecutor [[Detlev Mehlis]] to Musbah Abdulghasem Eter, a [[Libyans|Libyan]] who had worked at the Libyan embassy in East Berlin.<ref name="malinarich2001"/> Stasi files listed him as an agent, and Mehlis said he was the Libyan spy agency's main contact at the embassy.<ref name="malinarich2001" />
-Beginning in 1996, a number of suspects were extradited to [[Germany]]. Yasser Mohammed Chreidi, a [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] man accused of being the plot's "mastermind", was [[extradite]]d from [[Lebanon]] to Germany on May 24 in connection with the bombing.<ref name=":2" /> He had been working for the Libyan Peoples' Bureau in East Berlin at the time of the bombing.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} Chreidi was said to be a "suspected activist of the [[Fatah Revolutionary Council|Fatah-Revolutionary Council]]" headed by [[Abu Nidal]],<ref name=":2" /> who used to live in Tripoli and was financed by Libya in the 1980s.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} Eter was reported to be the Libyan spy agency's point man at the embassy in East Berlin.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120722005238/http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/1996/0515/politik/0223/index.html Beirut liefert aus : Textarchiv : Berliner Zeitung Archiv]</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Anker|first=Jens|title=Entschädigung nach 18 Jahren|url=http://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/politik/article375400/Entschaedigung_nach_18_Jahren.html|access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref>
+Beginning in 1996, a number of suspects were extradited to [[Germany]]. Yasser Mohammed Chreidi, a [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] man accused of being the plot's "mastermind", was [[extradite]]d from [[Lebanon]] to Germany on May 24 in connection with the bombing.<ref name=":2" /> Chreidi was said to be a "suspected activist of the [[Fatah Revolutionary Council|Fatah-Revolutionary Council]]" headed by [[Abu Nidal]],<ref name=":2" /> who used to live in Tripoli and was financed by Libya in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Muammar Qaddafi and Libya's Legacy of Terrorism |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/muammar-qaddafi-and-libyas-legacy-of-terrorism/ |access-date=2022-10-10 |website=FRONTLINE |language=en-US |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613033400/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/muammar-qaddafi-and-libyas-legacy-of-terrorism/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Eter was reported to be the Libyan spy agency's point man at the embassy in East Berlin.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120722005238/http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-zeitung/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/1996/0515/politik/0223/index.html Beirut liefert aus : Textarchiv : Berliner Zeitung Archiv]</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Anker|first=Jens|title=Entschädigung nach 18 Jahren|date=11 August 2004|url=http://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/politik/article375400/Entschaedigung_nach_18_Jahren.html|access-date=23 December 2016|archive-date=3 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403225824/http://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/politik/article375400/Entschaedigung_nach_18_Jahren.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
-Eter and four other suspects were arrested in 1996 in [[Lebanon]], [[Italy]], [[Greece]], and [[Berlin]], and put on trial a year later. Eventually, a four year trial in [[Germany]], which ended in 2001, found that the bombing had been "planned by the Libyan secret service and the Libyan Embassy", and convicted four people suspected to be involved with the attack: German citizen Verena Chanaa was found guilty of murder, after carrying a bag with the bomb used for the attack into ''La Belle''; Yasir Shraydi, a [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] worker at the Libyan embassy in East Berlin, was convicted of attempted murder; Musbah Eter was found guilty of being an accomplice; Ali Chanaa, Verena Chanaa's ex-husband, was also found guilty.<ref name="linked" /> A fifth defendant, Andrea Häusler, who accompanied Verena Chanaa to the club, was acquitted after prosecutors failed to prove she had known that the bomb used in the attack was in Chanaa's bag.<ref name="linked" />
+Eter and four other suspects were arrested in 1996 in [[Lebanon]], [[Italy]], [[Greece]], and [[Berlin]], and put on trial a year later. Eventually, a four year trial in [[Germany]], which ended in 2001, found that the bombing had been "planned by the Libyan secret service and the Libyan Embassy", and convicted four people suspected to be involved with the attack: German citizen Verena Chanaa was found guilty of murder, after carrying a bag with the bomb used for the attack into ''La Belle''; Yasir Shraydi, a [[Palestinians|Palestinian]] worker at the Libyan embassy in East Berlin, was convicted of attempted murder; Musbah Eter was found guilty of being an accomplice; Ali Chanaa, Verena Chanaa's ex-husband, was also found guilty.<ref name="linked" /> A fifth defendant, Andrea Häusler, who accompanied Verena Chanaa to the club, was acquitted after prosecutors failed to prove she had known that the bomb used in the attack was in Chanaa's bag.<ref name="linked" /> Verena Chanaa and Yasir Shraydi were sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Musbah Eter and Ali Chanaa were sentenced to 12 years.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Finn |first=Peter |date=2001-11-14 |title=4 Convicted in '86 Berlin Nightclub Bombing |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/11/14/4-convicted-in-86-berlin-nightclub-bombing/677c82cd-05ea-413b-a274-1ce261473384/ |access-date=2022-07-16 |archive-date=13 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613033219/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/11/14/4-convicted-in-86-berlin-nightclub-bombing/677c82cd-05ea-413b-a274-1ce261473384/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
-The court found that the three men had assembled the bomb in the Chanaas' flat.<ref name="malinarich2001" /> The explosive was said to have been brought into West Berlin in a Libyan diplomatic bag.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hrr-strafrecht.de/hrr/5/03/5-306-03.php3|title=BGH 5 StR 306/03 – 24. Juni 2004 (LG Berlin) · hrr-strafrecht.de|access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref> Verena Chanaa and her sister, Andrea Häusler, carried it into the La Belle in a travel bag and left five minutes before it exploded.<ref name="malinarich2001" /> Ms Häusler was acquitted because it could not be proven that she knew a bomb was in the bag.<ref name="linked" /> The court also notably ruled that prosecutors failed to demonstrate involvement in the bombing by [[Muammar Gaddafi]].<ref name="malinarich2001" /><ref name="linked" /><ref name=":3" />
+The court found that the three men had assembled the bomb in the Chanaa's flat.<ref name="malinarich2001" /> The explosive was said to have been brought into West Berlin in a Libyan diplomatic bag.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hrr-strafrecht.de/hrr/5/03/5-306-03.php3|title=BGH 5 StR 306/03 – 24. Juni 2004 (LG Berlin) · hrr-strafrecht.de|access-date=23 December 2016|archive-date=24 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124045358/http://www.hrr-strafrecht.de/hrr/5/03/5-306-03.php3|url-status=live}}</ref> The court also notably ruled that prosecutors failed to demonstrate involvement in the bombing by [[Muammar Gaddafi]].<ref name="malinarich2001" /><ref name="linked" /><ref name=":3" />
 ==Compensation==
-On 17 August 2003, newspapers reported that Libya had signaled to the [[German government]] that it was ready to negotiate compensation for the bombing with lawyers for non-U.S. victims.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.faz.net/|title=Aktuelle Nachrichten online|first=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|last=GmbH|access-date=23 December 2016}}</ref> A year later, on 10 August 2004, Libya concluded an agreement to pay a total of $35 million compensation to non-US citizens<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/politics//new/pol_libya_labelle_2004.html|title=German Missions in the United States – Home|access-date=23 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828235054/http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/politics//new/pol_libya_labelle_2004.html|archive-date=28 August 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+On 17 August 2003, newspapers reported that Libya had signaled to the [[German government]] that it was ready to negotiate compensation for the bombing with lawyers for non-U.S. victims.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.faz.net/|title=Aktuelle Nachrichten online|first=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|last=GmbH|access-date=23 December 2016|archive-date=18 April 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010418173609/https://www.faz.net/|url-status=live}}</ref> A year later, on 10 August 2004, Libya concluded an agreement to pay a total of $35 million compensation to non-US citizens.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/politics//new/pol_libya_labelle_2004.html|title=German Missions in the United States – Home|access-date=23 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828235054/http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/politics//new/pol_libya_labelle_2004.html|archive-date=28 August 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 In October 2008, Libya paid $1.5 billion into a fund to compensate relatives of:
-#[[Lockerbie bombing]] victims with the remaining 20% of the sum agreed in 2003;
+# [[Lockerbie bombing]] victims with the remaining 20% of the sum agreed in 2003;
-#American victims of the West Berlin discotheque bombing;
+# American victims of the West Berlin discotheque bombing;
-#American victims of the 1989 [[UTA Flight 772]] bombing; and,
+# American victims of the 1989 [[UTA Flight 772]] bombing; and,
-#Libyan victims of the [[1986 Bombing of Libya|1986 US bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi]].<ref>{{cite news
+# Libyan victims of the [[1986 United States bombing of Libya|1986 US bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi]].<ref>{{cite news
 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7703110.stm
 |title=Libya compensates terror victims
 |access-date=1 November 2008
 |publisher=BBC News
-| date=31 October 2008}}</ref>
+|date=31 October 2008
+|archive-date=3 November 2008
+|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081103212038/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7703110.stm
+|url-status=live
+}}</ref>
 ==See also==
 {{Portal|Germany|Libya|United States|1980s}}
+* [[1988 Naples bombing]]
-*[[List of terrorist incidents in 1986]]
-*[[Operation El Dorado Canyon]]
+* [[Gulf of Sidra incident (1981)]]
-*[[Gulf of Sidra incident (1989)]]
+* [[Gulf of Sidra incident (1989)]]
+* [[Libya and state-sponsored terrorism]]
-*[[Gulf of Sidra incident (1981)]]
+* [[List of terrorist incidents in 1986]]
-*[[Pan Am Flight 73]]
-*[[Pan Am Flight 103]]
+* [[Operation El Dorado Canyon]]
-*[[UTA Flight 772]]
+* [[Pan Am Flight 103]]
-*[[1988 Naples bombing]]
+* [[Pan Am Flight 73]]
+* [[UTA Flight 772]]
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
+==Notes==
+{{Notelist}}
 ==External links==
 {{Commons category|La Belle (Diskothek)}}
-*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1653848.stm BBC Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing]
+* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1653848.stm BBC Flashback: The Berlin disco bombing]
-*[http://www.labelletrial.de/start.htm La Belle victims' website]
+* [http://www.labelletrial.de/start.htm La Belle victims' website]
-*[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/el_dorado_canyon.htm Operation El Dorado Canyon]
+* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/el_dorado_canyon.htm Operation El Dorado Canyon]
-*[http://www.afrol.com/News2001/liy002_la_belle.htm 'La Belle' verdict favours Libya]
+* [http://www.afrol.com/News2001/liy002_la_belle.htm 'La Belle' verdict favours Libya]
-{{Coord|52|28|23|N|13|20|12|E|display=title}}
 {{Terrorism in Germany}}
-{{Club fires}}{{Authority control}}
+{{Club fires}}
+{{Muammar Gaddafi}}
+{{Germany–United States relations}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin discotheque bombing}}
-[[Category:1986 crimes in Germany]]
+[[Category:1980s in West Berlin|Discotheque bombing]]
+[[Category:1980s murders in Berlin]]
 [[Category:1986 in international relations]]
 [[Category:1986 in West Germany]]
-[[Category:1986 murders in Europe]]
+[[Category:1986 murders in Germany]]
-[[Category:1980s in West Berlin|Discotheque bombing]]
-[[Category:1980s murders in Germany]]
-[[Category:April 1986 crimes]]
 [[Category:April 1986 events in Europe]]
+[[Category:1986 building bombings]]
 [[Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in Berlin|Discotheque bombing]]
-[[Category:Attacks on nightclubs]]
+[[Category:Nightclub bombings]]
-[[Category:Cold War history of Germany]]
+[[Category:Building bombings in Germany|Discotheque bombing]]
+[[Category:Cold War history of Berlin]]
 [[Category:Explosions in Berlin|Discotheque bombing]]
-[[Category:Improvised explosive device bombings in 1986]]
+[[Category:Germany–Libya relations]]
 [[Category:Libya–United States relations]]
 [[Category:Muammar Gaddafi]]
-[[Category:Murder in Berlin|Discotheque bombing]]
 [[Category:Tempelhof-Schöneberg]]
-[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Berlin|Discotheque bombing]]
-[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Europe in 1986]]
-[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Germany in the 1980s]]
 [[Category:Terrorism committed by Libya]]
-[[Category:Building bombings in Germany|West Berlin]]
+[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Berlin|Discotheque bombing]]
+[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Germany in 1986]]
+[[Category:United States–West Germany relations]]

v t e Nightclub fires, disasters, and attacks
Fires (accidental)	1929 Study Club fire 1940 Rhythm Club fire 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire 1947 Karlslust dance hall fire 1961 Top Storey Club fire 1970 Club Cinq-Sept fire 1972 Play Town Club fire 1973 Summerland disaster 1977 Beverly Hills Supper Club fire 1981 Stardust fire 1983 Alcalá 20 nightclub fire 1993 Kheyvis fire 1996 Ozone Disco fire 2000 Luoyang Christmas fire 2001 Volendam New Year's fire 2001 Canecão Mineiro nightclub fire 2002 Utopía nightclub fire 2003 The Station nightclub fire 2004 República Cromañón nightclub fire 2008 Wuwang Club fire 2009 Santika Club fire 2009 Lame Horse fire 2012 Sighetu Marmației explosions 2013 Kiss nightclub fire 2015 New Taipei water park fire 2015 Colectiv nightclub fire 2016 Ghost Ship warehouse fire 2022 Yaoundé nightclub fire 2022 Mountain B nightclub fire 2022 Binh Duong karaoke bar fire 2022 Kostroma café fire 2022 Poipet casino hotel fire 2023 Fonda Milagros nightclub fire 2024 Gayrettepe nightclub fire
Crowd crushes	2000 Throb nightclub disaster 2003 E2 nightclub crush 2018 El Paraíso stampede 2018 Corinaldo stampede 2020 Los Olivos stampede
Attacks	1972 Blue Bird Café fire 1973 Whiskey Au Go Go fire 1973 UpStairs Lounge arson attack 1974 Gulliver's nightclub fire 1975 Gargantua bar attack 1976 Puerto Rican Social Club fire 1980 Denmark Place fire 1982 Droppin Well bombing 1984 Dallas nightclub shooting 1986 West Berlin discotheque bombing 1990 Happy Land fire 1997 Otherside Lounge bombing 1998 Gothenburg discothèque fire 1998 Panda Bar massacre 2001 Dolphinarium discotheque massacre 2001 Myojo 56 building fire 2002 Bali bombings 2004 Columbus nightclub shooting 2005 Stage Club bombing 2006 Arua nightclub shooting 2007 London car bombs 2011 Tel Aviv nightclub attack 2015 Cairo restaurant fire 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting 2017 Istanbul nightclub shooting 2017 Cincinnati nightclub shooting 2017 Little Rock nightclub shooting 2018 Thousand Oaks shooting 2019 Salamanca nightclub shooting 2019 Coatzacoalcos nightclub fire 2022 Oslo shootings 2022 Colorado Springs nightclub shooting
Other	1925 Pickwick Club collapse 2022 Enyobeni Tavern disaster (cause of death unknown)

v t e Muammar Gaddafi
History and politics	History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi Domestic politics Foreign relations Cultural Revolution Third International Theory Escape to Hell The Green Book Killing international reactions Reception and legacy
Personal life	Fathia Nuri Khalid (first wife) Safia Farkash (second wife) Muhammad Gaddafi (first son) Saif al-Islam Gaddafi (second son) Al-Saadi Gaddafi (third son) Mutassim Gaddafi (fourth son) Hannibal Gaddafi (fifth son) Ayesha Gaddafi (daughter) Saif al-Arab Gaddafi (sixth son) Khamis Gaddafi (seventh son)
Related topics	Al-Shams newspaper Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights Amazonian Guard Bab al-Azizia Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution GICDF 40th anniversary of the Libyan Revolution Isratin
Namesakes	Gaddafi Mosque (Tanzania) Uganda National Mosque (Gaddafi National Mosque, 2007–2013) Gaddafi Stadium (Pakistan) Tragedy Khadafi Yaki Kadafi
Libya portal

v t e Germany–United States relations
Diplomatic posts	Embassy of Germany, Washington, D.C. Ambassadors of Germany to the United States Embassy of the United States, Berlin Ambassadors of the United States to Germany Consular Agency of the United States, Bremen Consulate General of the United States, Hamburg Consulate General of the United States, Frankfurt Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Diplomacy	Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Consular Relations between Germany and the United States of America Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany Guadeloupe Conference Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
Conflicts	Samoan crisis Samoan Civil War Second Samoan Civil War Tripartite Convention Treaty of Berlin (1889) World War I United States declaration of war on Germany (1917) Zimmermann Telegram War Plan Black Treaty of Versailles World War II German declaration of war against the United States United States declaration of war on Germany (1941) German prisoners of war in the United States Internment of German Americans Executive Order 9066 Nazism in the Americas Duquesne Spy Ring Operation Pastorius Don't Be a Sucker Here Is Germany Your Job in Germany Four Ds Morgenthau Plan The President's Economic Mission to Germany and Austria Allied-occupied Germany German Marshall Fund
Incidents	Bowers v. Kerbaugh-Empire Co. 1960 Munich C-131 crash Berlin Crisis of 1961 1961 F-84 Thunderstreak incident 1964 T-39 shootdown incident Chicken tax Zschernig v. Miller Operation Rubicon (Crypto AG) Bitburg controversy West Berlin discotheque bombing 1991 United States embassy sniper attack in Bonn LaGrand case Price v. United States Zadvydas v. Davis Operation Eikonal 2011 Frankfurt Airport shooting
U.S. relations with former German states	East Germany–United States relations Ambassadors of East Germany to the United States Ambassadors of the United States to East Germany United States–West Germany relations Prussia–United States relations Treaty of Amity and Commerce (Prussia–United States) Prussia and the American Civil War Grand Duchy of Baden–United States relations Kingdom of Bavaria–United States relations Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg–United States relations Kingdom of Hanover–United States relations German Empire–United States relations Hanseatic Republics–United States relations Grand Duchy of Hesse–United States relations Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin–United States relations Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz–United States relations Duchy of Nassau–United States relations North German Confederation–United States relations Grand Duchy of Oldenburg–United States relations Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe–United States relations Kingdom of Württemberg–United States relations
Related	Anti-American sentiment in Germany Germans in the American Revolution German interest in the Caribbean Helios (spacecraft) Ich bin ein Berliner Tear down this wall! Freedom Bell STS-61-A TAT-10 Amerika Haus Amerika Haus Berlin Atlantic Initiative Atlantik-Brücke Bacatec Cultural Vistas Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Federation of German-American Clubs German-American Friendship Garden German American Partnership Program German Historical Institute Washington DC IG Farben Building Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program Rundfunk im amerikanischen Sektor
Category:Germany–United States relations