West Berlin discotheque bombing

The bombing came at a time of heightened tension between the United States and Libya, which first escalated in the early 1980s. These tensions drastically escalated in early 1986, when US forces repeatedly flew planes over the Gulf of Sidra. Libyan forces subsequently fired upon American planes, which led to an American bombing campaign. The site of the bombing, a discothèque known as La Belle, was known to be a popular spot for American troops in West Germany. == 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. The blast destroyed a large portion of the floor, causing many to fall into the cellar underneath the dance floor. == 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. The blast injured at least 230 individuals which included more than 50 American service members, as it was a popular hangout spot for service members. Some of the victims were left permanently disabled due to the injuries caused by the explosion. ==Blame and retribution==

Almost immediately after the bombing, the American government, led by president Ronald Reagan, placed the blame on Libya. At least 30 soldiers and 15 civilians were killed. Gaddafi's adopted infant daughter Hana was reported killed, although the claim, and even her existence, have been disputed. 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. 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. 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, and the trial was called "murky" by BBC News. Notably, the trial failed to prove the involvement of then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. ==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. Eter was reported to be the Libyan spy agency's point man at the embassy in East Berlin. 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. The court found that the three men had assembled the bomb in the Chanaa's flat. The court also notably ruled that prosecutors failed to demonstrate involvement in the bombing by Muammar Gaddafi. ==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. A year later, on 10 August 2004, Libya concluded an agreement to pay a total of $35 million compensation to non-US citizens. 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. ==See also==