Gherstwood Mall Explosion Kills 30, White Hand Claims Responsibility
04/21/3133
INN - Interstellar News Network
GHERSTWOOD--White Hand terrorists claimed responsibility for the midmorning
explosion at Gherstwood Mall in Gherstwood, Haitiana province, that has killed at
least 30 and wounded over 80 more. Officials at the scene say that the blast,
apparently centered somewhere inside the mall's food court, went off precisely at
10:30 hours local time, and caused extensive damage to all three floors of the mall,
including a blaze that swept several adjoining shops and which firefighters continue to
battle at this hour.
“It was loud--so loud the entire floor shook and one of our windows cracked,” said
Marta Onalia, a clerk at Brodi Comics, a bookshop located on the eastern wing of the
mall. “Then there was all the screaming outside. By the time I got into the hallway, so
many people were running, I didn't even see the flames at first.”
“A friend of mine was supposed to be working at Happy Dan’s [a food court diner]
this morning,” said Michi Abalon, whose friend, Frank McCastle, is among those
missing at this hour. “I tried to get in there, maybe help out or something, but when I
saw all those bodies, I just froze. Then security ushered me out . . . ”
Gherstwood's Constable, Octavius Browne, briefed reporters from an emergency
field-command center in the mall parking area, shortly after the attack.
“At this time, rescue personnel on the scene have confirmed 30 dead, many of whom
were dining in the food court at the time of the attack,” said Browne. “Another 80 or
so have been wounded, with the worst cases already en route to hospitals or receiving
emergency care at this hour. There are also an estimated 30 more individuals
unaccounted for.”
Police say the terrorists' bomb was likely of military origin, possibly composed of one
or two blocks of pentaglycerine, and was set off by remote detonator or timer switch.
In an effort to determine the source of the blast and the potential identity of the
terrorist or terrorists responsible for planting it, Browne told INN that efforts were
already underway to recover information from the building security cameras.
Fewer than three minutes after the attack, an individual--claiming to be a member of
the White Hand--made a voice-only call to the Gherstwood Police Department.
Browne said that the Towne Bureau of Investigations has already been brought in on
the case.
“The call was recorded and a copy is undergoing analysis at the local TBI
headquarters,” said Browne. “At this time, we can say only that we believe--but
cannot confirm--that the caller was male, and that the call originated from an
emergency public-access communications booth. We are pursuing all leads to track
down the caller and determine the legitimacy of his claim.”
The White Hand, opposed to Towne’s government, is a fairly new terrorist
organization, formed only within the past few months. Officials say that the White
Hand espouses many of the same fanatical, techno-elitist views of the vanished Word
of Blake, but are not believed to be a remnant of the actual splinter faction of ComStar
that ravaged the Inner Sphere in a self-proclaimed Jihad from 3067 to 3081. By
contrast, the White Hand claims a following only on Towne itself.
“[The White Hand] are really the result of a growing fear in the sudden mass-
industrialization of our world,” said Doctor Lindsey Xantares, a criminal psychologist
with the Gherstwood PD. “Its membership is composed of radicals from every fringe
group on the planet who have a cause--be it ecological, political, social, and so forth--
they feel is worth fighting or killing for. Unified only because these causes align in the
face of widespread development, mostly for the sake of boosting Towne’s defense,
they see the government and the military as the threat, but not one they’re able to face
directly.”
The White Hand first appeared shortly after the mid-November seizure of the Port
Howard HPG station by the Voice of the Dragon, a pro - Dragon’s Fury terrorist
group. The deployment of Towne military security troops inside the capital--for the
first time in more than 50 years--to end the two-week standoff led to a sympathy call
by the White Hand against the use of such forces as a sign of government oppression.
Since that time, bomb threats and minor acts of sabotage on commercial and civil
authority facilities and equipment have been attributed to the Hand.
“Reliable knowledge about [the White Hand] remains scant,” Xantares admitted.
“Some may even be members of the shattered Voice of the Dragon, but that hasn't
been confirmed. Are they fanatics in the truest sense of the word? We can’t be
certain because none of the organization's operatives have yet been captured. Their
willingness to target civilians to attract attention is obvious, however, and hints that
they are, thankfully, a small force, and one probably lacking in military training.”
Governor Renee Oscar, who was attending a fund raiser for the Towne Historical
Society in Uthan Hel at the time of the attack, was immediately whisked back to Port
Howard once word of the terrorist strike reached her. En route, she broadcast a
statement to the people of Towne, vowing to bring the White Hand to justice:
“The only people who would do such a thing are cowards, plain and simple,” said
Oscar. “No agenda, no matter how benign, no matter how noble, is worth the
massacre of innocent lives. No cause is so just that it can be addressed over the blood
of civilians. Rest assured, good people of Towne--justice will be done after this latest
tragedy.”
At ground zero tonight, the site of the bloodiest terrorist attack on Towne in recent
memory, however, assurances even from the planetary leader are small comfort
indeed, as rescue teams continue to find more victims than survivors.
Towne Log
+ Holy crap! :- Hippee
+ Took the words right out of my mouth, Hippee. What kind of monsters can do
something like that!? :- RepMan
+ I have no idea. What’s worse, it sure as hell seems the government has no idea,
either. How does some wannabe terrorist group like the WH, who can’t even freaking
smuggle a pipe bomb into a bulk mail box without somebody’s dog sniffing it out, pull
off a stunt like this? :- PhazeOne
+ Maybe it’s not them, after all. Maybe it’s VoD, trying to play off like they’re a new
group? :- FMLurder
+ Lurder, for once stow the conspiracy theories, okay? This is serious! :- PhazeOne
+ You think I’m joking? My point is that the enemy--whomever they might be--
doesn't always have to come out and say who they are in order to instill terror. If I
were heading the VoD, after getting spanked at that HPG standoff, I’d start lurking in
the shadows, making things real unpleasant for my enemies, but trying to distract
them from my real goals. Now, while the govt. goes after some neo-Blakist terrorists
called the White Hand, the VoD can do whatever they need to for another shot at
putting the Dragon’s banner up over Parliament. :- FMLurder
+ I don’t know, but what I’m more worried about is what the government’s
counterattack will look like. This article reminded me of the standoff at the HPG a
few months back. Anyone remember that one? First time a BattleMech marched in
Port Howard since just after The Republic’s founding day, and armored infantry
fought inside the building. Before that, folks around here practically forgot we had--or
needed--an army. Suddenly, we’ve got new terrorists springing up, and maybe what’s
left of the Voice did go and join them. Maybe that’s even why these Hand attacks
have gotten stronger. :- RepMan
+ Meanwhile, it all gives Oscar and Jurik more reason to start cracking down on the
people! I mean, come on, this article suggests all the really radical folks out there--
ecology fanatics, ousted political-action groups, and the local street gangs--are
probably in league with the White Hand. It makes for a nice way to set up a blanket
‘shoot-on-sight’ system of justice. :- Synnik
+ Bingo! So, watch what you type now, guys. One never knows when one might be
labeled a subversive (and thus a potential White Hand terrorist) and then ‘disappear’
one day. :- FMLurder
04/21/3133
INN - Interstellar News Network
GHERSTWOOD--White Hand terrorists claimed responsibility for the midmorning
explosion at Gherstwood Mall in Gherstwood, Haitiana province, that has killed at
least 30 and wounded over 80 more. Officials at the scene say that the blast,
apparently centered somewhere inside the mall's food court, went off precisely at
10:30 hours local time, and caused extensive damage to all three floors of the mall,
including a blaze that swept several adjoining shops and which firefighters continue to
battle at this hour.
“It was loud--so loud the entire floor shook and one of our windows cracked,” said
Marta Onalia, a clerk at Brodi Comics, a bookshop located on the eastern wing of the
mall. “Then there was all the screaming outside. By the time I got into the hallway, so
many people were running, I didn't even see the flames at first.”
“A friend of mine was supposed to be working at Happy Dan’s [a food court diner]
this morning,” said Michi Abalon, whose friend, Frank McCastle, is among those
missing at this hour. “I tried to get in there, maybe help out or something, but when I
saw all those bodies, I just froze. Then security ushered me out . . . ”
Gherstwood's Constable, Octavius Browne, briefed reporters from an emergency
field-command center in the mall parking area, shortly after the attack.
“At this time, rescue personnel on the scene have confirmed 30 dead, many of whom
were dining in the food court at the time of the attack,” said Browne. “Another 80 or
so have been wounded, with the worst cases already en route to hospitals or receiving
emergency care at this hour. There are also an estimated 30 more individuals
unaccounted for.”
Police say the terrorists' bomb was likely of military origin, possibly composed of one
or two blocks of pentaglycerine, and was set off by remote detonator or timer switch.
In an effort to determine the source of the blast and the potential identity of the
terrorist or terrorists responsible for planting it, Browne told INN that efforts were
already underway to recover information from the building security cameras.
Fewer than three minutes after the attack, an individual--claiming to be a member of
the White Hand--made a voice-only call to the Gherstwood Police Department.
Browne said that the Towne Bureau of Investigations has already been brought in on
the case.
“The call was recorded and a copy is undergoing analysis at the local TBI
headquarters,” said Browne. “At this time, we can say only that we believe--but
cannot confirm--that the caller was male, and that the call originated from an
emergency public-access communications booth. We are pursuing all leads to track
down the caller and determine the legitimacy of his claim.”
The White Hand, opposed to Towne’s government, is a fairly new terrorist
organization, formed only within the past few months. Officials say that the White
Hand espouses many of the same fanatical, techno-elitist views of the vanished Word
of Blake, but are not believed to be a remnant of the actual splinter faction of ComStar
that ravaged the Inner Sphere in a self-proclaimed Jihad from 3067 to 3081. By
contrast, the White Hand claims a following only on Towne itself.
“[The White Hand] are really the result of a growing fear in the sudden mass-
industrialization of our world,” said Doctor Lindsey Xantares, a criminal psychologist
with the Gherstwood PD. “Its membership is composed of radicals from every fringe
group on the planet who have a cause--be it ecological, political, social, and so forth--
they feel is worth fighting or killing for. Unified only because these causes align in the
face of widespread development, mostly for the sake of boosting Towne’s defense,
they see the government and the military as the threat, but not one they’re able to face
directly.”
The White Hand first appeared shortly after the mid-November seizure of the Port
Howard HPG station by the Voice of the Dragon, a pro - Dragon’s Fury terrorist
group. The deployment of Towne military security troops inside the capital--for the
first time in more than 50 years--to end the two-week standoff led to a sympathy call
by the White Hand against the use of such forces as a sign of government oppression.
Since that time, bomb threats and minor acts of sabotage on commercial and civil
authority facilities and equipment have been attributed to the Hand.
“Reliable knowledge about [the White Hand] remains scant,” Xantares admitted.
“Some may even be members of the shattered Voice of the Dragon, but that hasn't
been confirmed. Are they fanatics in the truest sense of the word? We can’t be
certain because none of the organization's operatives have yet been captured. Their
willingness to target civilians to attract attention is obvious, however, and hints that
they are, thankfully, a small force, and one probably lacking in military training.”
Governor Renee Oscar, who was attending a fund raiser for the Towne Historical
Society in Uthan Hel at the time of the attack, was immediately whisked back to Port
Howard once word of the terrorist strike reached her. En route, she broadcast a
statement to the people of Towne, vowing to bring the White Hand to justice:
“The only people who would do such a thing are cowards, plain and simple,” said
Oscar. “No agenda, no matter how benign, no matter how noble, is worth the
massacre of innocent lives. No cause is so just that it can be addressed over the blood
of civilians. Rest assured, good people of Towne--justice will be done after this latest
tragedy.”
At ground zero tonight, the site of the bloodiest terrorist attack on Towne in recent
memory, however, assurances even from the planetary leader are small comfort
indeed, as rescue teams continue to find more victims than survivors.
Towne Log
+ Holy crap! :- Hippee
+ Took the words right out of my mouth, Hippee. What kind of monsters can do
something like that!? :- RepMan
+ I have no idea. What’s worse, it sure as hell seems the government has no idea,
either. How does some wannabe terrorist group like the WH, who can’t even freaking
smuggle a pipe bomb into a bulk mail box without somebody’s dog sniffing it out, pull
off a stunt like this? :- PhazeOne
+ Maybe it’s not them, after all. Maybe it’s VoD, trying to play off like they’re a new
group? :- FMLurder
+ Lurder, for once stow the conspiracy theories, okay? This is serious! :- PhazeOne
+ You think I’m joking? My point is that the enemy--whomever they might be--
doesn't always have to come out and say who they are in order to instill terror. If I
were heading the VoD, after getting spanked at that HPG standoff, I’d start lurking in
the shadows, making things real unpleasant for my enemies, but trying to distract
them from my real goals. Now, while the govt. goes after some neo-Blakist terrorists
called the White Hand, the VoD can do whatever they need to for another shot at
putting the Dragon’s banner up over Parliament. :- FMLurder
+ I don’t know, but what I’m more worried about is what the government’s
counterattack will look like. This article reminded me of the standoff at the HPG a
few months back. Anyone remember that one? First time a BattleMech marched in
Port Howard since just after The Republic’s founding day, and armored infantry
fought inside the building. Before that, folks around here practically forgot we had--or
needed--an army. Suddenly, we’ve got new terrorists springing up, and maybe what’s
left of the Voice did go and join them. Maybe that’s even why these Hand attacks
have gotten stronger. :- RepMan
+ Meanwhile, it all gives Oscar and Jurik more reason to start cracking down on the
people! I mean, come on, this article suggests all the really radical folks out there--
ecology fanatics, ousted political-action groups, and the local street gangs--are
probably in league with the White Hand. It makes for a nice way to set up a blanket
‘shoot-on-sight’ system of justice. :- Synnik
+ Bingo! So, watch what you type now, guys. One never knows when one might be
labeled a subversive (and thus a potential White Hand terrorist) and then ‘disappear’
one day. :- FMLurder
| April 21, 3133 |