A suspect in the bombing of three Albuquerque, N.M. Starbucks is now in federal custody, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced Monday. While the suspect’s name has not been released, two other Starbucks bombings this year have been linked to the Islamic State (ISIS).
The explosive devices were detonated at three Starbucks coffee shops - located at 3400 Central Ave. SE; 4407 Lomas Blvd. NE; and 5401 Gibson Blvd. SE – last Friday, and police found evidence of gun shots at two of the locations. According to the FBI’s original release:
“Federal and Albuquerque law enforcement and fire officials are investigating the vandalism of three Albuquerque coffee shops that occurred after midnight on November 25, 2016.
“Suspicious devices were placed at three closed Starbucks coffee shops, and one caused minimal damage.”
A bombing that left 34 people dead in March of this year at a Brussels airport, which included a Starbucks target, was claimed by ISIS:
“In its claim of responsibility, the Islamic State group said its members detonated suicide vests both at the airport and in the subway, where many passengers fled to safety down dark tunnels filled with hazy smoke from the explosion. A small child wailed, and commuters used cell phones to light their way out. IS warned of further attacks, issuing a communique promising "dark days" for countries taking part in the anti-IS coalition, warning
“The government said at least 11 people were killed at the airport and 20 on the subway, where the bomb hit an enclosed train car. Later, a security official said the overall death toll had risen to 34, without providing a breakdown of where.”
And, in January, Indonesian officials declared ISIS responsible for an explosion and gun fight at a Starbucks café in Jakarta:
“Indonesia’s capital Jakarta was hit by a series of bombings today (Jan. 14) that killed two civilians, including one Canadian. Officials blamed the attack on Islamic State militants, some of whom have allegedly been captured.
“A number of explosions rocked the city’s Sarinah neighborhood starting at around 10:45am local time, followed by a gun battle between attackers and police outside a Starbucks cafe that was one of the targets.”
The targeting of Starbucks cafes is nothing new, though. In December of last year, a bomb threat was made against a Starbucks on the grounds of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and, as far back as 2009, a Starbucks on the upper East Side of New York was victimized by a bombing.
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