Fountain Plaza bombing
| Fountain Plaza bombing | |
|---|---|
 Rescue workers searching rubble for trapped survivors. | |
| Location |  Agalore, Aerla
|
| Date | 1733.14 AN |
| Attack type | Bombing |
| Weapon(s) | IEDs |
| Deaths | 23 |
| Injured | 85 |
| Perpetrator(s) | People's Revolutionary Armed Forces |
The Fountain Plaza bombing was a terrorist attack that took place in late 1733 AN when an bomb was detonated in an alleyway close to Fountain Plaza in Agalore, Aerla, resulting in the deaths of 23 and the wounding of a further 85. The attack was carried out by the People's Revolutionary Armed Forces, an armed breakaway of the People's Revolutionary Communist Party of Aerla in response to the sentencing of PRCPA's leader Constantine Veracek to a 20 year prison sentence for sedition,
Attack
At roughly 4:00 PM CMT+5, a bomb detonated in an alleyway connected to Fountain Plaza, a public square in Agalore known for its many tourist shops and cafes. The bomb itself was placed inside of a metal trashcan behind a small pharmacy. The bomb collapsed the building and damaged several nearby structures. The blast immediately killed two teenage boys who were walking through the alley at the time of the explosion. The resulting collapse of the nearby buildings caused a further 21 deaths and 88 injuries.
First responders arrived at the scene approximately a minute after the blast. Rescuers were able to commandeer construction equipment from a nearby building site to search the debris for trapped survivors.
Perpetrators
In a video uploaded roughly 3 hours after the attack, a masked spokesperson for the People's Revolutionary Armed Forces claimed the bombing as a part of a "class war" against the Aerlan state and as an act of revenge for the sentencing of PRCPA leader Constantine Veracek to a 20 year prison sentence. They also warned that if Veracek wasn't granted amnesty, there would be "countless more attacks to come..."
Domestic Reactions
Government Response
The following day, the National Assembly passed a resolution to declare the PRAF a terrorist organization. The city of Agalore declared a week-long state of emergency and period of mourning following the attack. The President of Aerla, Basil Fitzroy, spoke in a public address denouncing the attacks as "cowardly, foolish, and unacceptable" and offered his thoughts and prayers to the victims families, and vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
PRCPA Response
The interim leader of the PRCPA, James Lewiston, denounced the attack. Lewiston was a noted moderate, preferring a legitimate rise to power via democratic means rather than an armed struggle. He also stated that, in a phone call he had with Veracek, stated that the latter "had to interest in the bombing of the innocents."
Lewiston would go on to expel Pachad and several of his associates from the PRCPA in response to the attack.
