quote: BBC News Online

---

Blast hits Pakistan cinema hall

A bomb at a cinema in north-west Pakistan has killed two people and injured at least 29 others, police say. The attack took place in the town of Mingora in the North West Frontier Province, some 110km (70 miles) from the capital, Islamabad. It remains unclear who carried out the attack at the 200-seat hall, which was nearly full at the time.

Mingora is home to a number of radical Islamic leaders promoting strict adherence to religious codes. The police said the bomb was planted in a plastic bag in the front row of the cinema. It exploded near the end of the show. One suspect - a man carrying wires and detonators - was among the injured, the police said.

The BBC's Paul Anderson in Islamabad says the police will be looking into the possibility of whoever carried out the attack did so out of religious zeal, believing that Muslims should be carrying out their Islamic duties rather than watching films. Correspondents say it is also possible that the attack was linked to criminal activity.

A series of attacks blamed on Sunni and Shia militants claimed more than 70 lives in Pakistan in October alone.

---

I wondered how long it would be before theatres became a terrorist target, and sadly this has now happened. Hundreds of people in a confined space... and short of installing airport-style x-ray machines in every theatre entrance, I really can't see any way of dealing with the threat. Let's just hope that nothing like this happens in the west.
 

---

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 11-17-2004, 11:36 AM:
 
It was rumored back during the 1991 Gulf War that Saddam uttered something about blowing up American theatres if the Iraqi civilians were mistreated. I doubt very seriously this could have been pulled off with any regularity even though he was part of the now-vaunted "Axis of Evil".

I've often considered safety questions regarding disasters such as an explosion in a crowded theatre or a mass shooting by a distraught person in a packed lobby. What if Al-Quida or another rouge terrorist cell managed to pull this off? What about a home-grown terrorist like McVay? What if on Saturday, September 8, 2001, 19 seperate theaters across the country were blown up by ferilizer bombs. Even though the death rate would be much less than the real disaster three days later, this industry would have went belly up for the next five years. People would be scared to death to attend films, concerts, sporting events, and any other large public venues. One might say "people were affraid to do anything after the attacks anyway", yes, but WHERE were the attacks? Office buildings in large cities . . . not public gatherings in the heartland.

As terrorism is whittled away, theatres may become a target. First abroad like in Pakistan, then maybe a little closer to home such as London, but when Mann's Chinese theatre goes up, Jesus it will be September 11 all over again . . . until the next Pixar feature debutes.

No politics, just my opinion
 

---

Posted by Edward Jurich (Member # 1787) on 11-20-2004, 09:12 PM:
 
How about a trained bomb sniffing dog at the entrance. Might scare off potential robbers too
 

---

Posted by Chase Hanson (Member # 2779) on 11-21-2004, 04:35 AM:
 
I dont think movie theaters represent a significant enough target in the United States

Too few people per unit area, so you would need a hyooge bomb to kill alot of people or you just wouldnt kill many people.

No significant targetable demographic, population density too low to make targeting a hodge-podge group viable.

[ 11-21-2004, 03:32 PM: Message edited by: Chase Hanson ]
 

---

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 11-21-2004, 12:51 PM:
 
An average cinema in San Diego probably handles much less people per hour or day than a situation in the Far and Middle East. I have been in train station sized cinemas out of the country with thousands of people present...it is an unfortunate probability.
 

---

Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 12-09-2004, 07:41 PM:
 
Theatres, especially megaplexes, in larger cities are definately a potential target. Beefing up security and other "target hardening" measures are prudent things to do.
 

---