User:Centrist16/2014 Sierra coup d'état attempt

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2014 Sierra coup d'état attempt
Part of the War on Terror
Flag of the Islamic terrorist organization, the Army of God (also known as God's Revolutionary Jihadi Martyrs), the organization that attempted to takeover vital Sierran government buildings.
Date August 18, 2014 Location Los Angeles, GC, Sierra Status Coup attempt failed, security heightened and state of emergency declared.
Belligerents
Army of God	Sierra Los Angeles Police Department Sierran Crown Armed Forces National Guard
Commanders and leaders
Karim Mahar †	Frank Sanchez Smith II Victor Huang
Strength
309-350 militants	243 police officers 34 Parliament police officers 42 Secret Service agents 1,200 uniformed soldiers 3,800 reserves soldiers
Casualties and losses
53 deaths 92 injuries 150 captured (unharmed) 14 officially missing	33 deaths 20 police officers 11 soldiers 2 civilians 46 injuries 23 police officers 19 soldiers 3 civilians

The 2014 coup d'état attempt was an incident that occurred on August 18, 2014 when the radical Islamic terrorist organization, the "Army of God" (Arabic: جيش الله) tried to seize Sierran government buildings and declare a caliphate government over Sierra. Two attacks on the Occidental Palace and the Parliament building complex simultaneously began at 8:39 AM on August 18, 2014 in Los Angeles, Gold Coast. After hours of an intense standoff, most of the terrorist militants were subdued and captured by Sierran authorities. Later in the evening, news outlets reported receiving a video from the leadership of the Army of God group claiming responsibility for the act. The video praised the actions of the coup's organizer, Karim Mahar, who was killed in action during the coup and called him a martyr. The Army of God declared all Muslims to join the jihad against Sierra, the United States, and other Western governments for their military involvement in the Middle East. The Sierran government for the first time in history decided to upgrade the Security National Alert Condition (SNACON) from "3" to "2" and declared an open state of emergency. King Smith II along with the rest of the royal family were in the palace during the attacks and was safely escorted by Secret Service agents to an undisclosed area for the remainder of the day.

Background

Since the 1990s, Sierra has had active military presence in the Middle East thanks to its shift from noninterventionism to supporting American-led conflicts. Islamic fundamentalists opposed Western presence in the region, especially in areas they deemed "holy lands", and felt that they were a threat to their culture, morals, and Islam itself. The 1998 bombing of Los Angeles and 2004 bombing of San Diego were both terrorist attacks launched against Sierra in retaliation for Sierra's foreign policies in regard to the Middle East. Often, the more recognizable anti-American protests were also directed toward Sierra. Slogans such as Death to Sierra (الموت لسييرا) and Lesser Satan (with the United States receiving the name Great Satan) became common throughout the anti-American Middle East community.

In Sierra, many Muslims living in the country rejected fundamentalism and while some opposed Sierra's policies, almost all condemned terrorism. In 2003, the Sierran government declared the Army of God's predecessor, the Syyra Independence Movement a terrorist organization for having connections with al-Qaeda. In 2005, the Syyra Independence Movement was virtually dead, as many members were arrested and extradited to countries including Yemen or Saudi Arabia.

Timeline

First shots fired

Security footage from the day before the attacks showed that militants at various fast food restaurant locations throughout the province of the Gold Coast were speaking on the phone with each other. At 8:12 AM on August 18, witnesses reported seeing a long caravan of trucks and buses with tinted windows heading down Downtown Los Angeles in the direction of the main government buildings. The buses carried as much as 50 militants each and carried over 50 pounds of ammunition and weapons.

According to later investigation, militants were informed to wear Sierran-style business suits and carry their weapons in briefcases to temporarily hinder suspicion before the attacks. Eyewitness accounts reported seeing buses circling around the Parliament building "three times" until it stopped just in front of the public west wing entrance at a fire lane. After Karim Mahar, the ringleader of the attack confirmed that all the militants had arrive at their target locations (the Occidental Palace and the Parliament), the attacks commenced under his word.

Infiltration attempt

At the Parliament, militants rushed up the stairs demanding civilians evacuate the scene or risk being shot at. Civilians who were initially confused were given a warning shot and scrambled off as the militants rushed to the entrance. At the Palace, militants shot two Occidental Palace police officers at the south street and breached the palace gates by detonating two small bombs at 8:39 AM. Sierran Secret Service snipers on the Palace's roof floor immediately began shooting any militants that came in and called for the military to intervene. Within the Palace, King Smith II and his family were immediately informed of the home invasion and evacuated out of the palace through a secure underground tunnel. Escorted by a team of 22 Secret Service agents, the royal family as well as staff were brought to an undisclosed location and remained their for the duration of the day.

Military response

Following emergency calls for backup at both locations, Sierran Crown Armed Forces soldiers stationed at the Port Los Angeles Naval Command Center were among the first to respond. Vehicles belonging to the militants were immediately searched and towed away while the streets around the Parliament and Occidental Palace were closed off from public access. Local police equipped with semi-automatic rifles and riot gear began securing the perimeter to prevent anyone from entering or exiting the scene without confirmation. The Parliament was not in session that day and so Parliament Police were more readily able to place themselves in strategic locations to fight. All known locations of access were closed off in the building and as expected, the militants attempted to breach the main entrance doors. At 8:41 AM, the doors were breached and the ensuing onslaught left 20 dead on both sides within the first few minutes.

At the Palace, Secret Service agents equipped specialized lighting and auditory riot control systems in an attempt to cripple the militants' senses from advancing. With blinding light and noises exceeding 140 decibels quickly subdued the militants who surrendered. Afterwards, this utilization of the technology was praised by news media outlets, the public, and the media which prevented unnecessary bloodshed at the Palace grounds.

Killing of Karim Mahar

A 2009 photo of Karim Mahar, the main perpetrator and organizer of the attacks.