As a result of the car bomb explosion, the Deputy Inspector of the Spanish Police Force, Jorge García Tudela, died immediately, and his body was only discovered at the end of the shootout. Another police officer Isidro Gabino San Martín was injured, who was taken away but died on his way to hospital. Two Afghan employees of the embassy were also killed in the attack.
The rest of the personnel who were in the embassy at the time were saved after taking refuge in the bunkers of the Spanish Embassy. They were rescued alive after the Afghan Special Forces and North American units intervened in a shootout lasting for several hours.
Investigations are being undertaken at this time to clarify the details of the attack. Although a press statement from the terrorist group and the information uncovered by the Afghan police point to the fact that the object of the attack was not the Spanish Embassy, the investigation remains ongoing and no hypothesis has yet been discounted. At any event, this is a terrorist attack in which two Spanish citizens have died and in which our interests have suffered serious damage. Hence, this is an attack on Spain and on our collaboration in consolidating democracy in Afghanistan.
The President of the Government has maintained ongoing contact to follow the outcome of the events and passed on this information to the other political groups.
The Minister for Home Affairs will meet during the course of Saturday with the families of the two police officers who were killed in the attack. Work is being carried out by the Ministry of Home Affairs to call a meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the "Agreement to guarantee unity in defending liberty and in the fight against terrorism".
The government invites public institutions to hang the Spanish flag at half mast from Saturday 12 December until Monday 14 December at midday. A minute's silence will also be observed at midday on Monday, 14 December, in front of public buildings and offices as a mark of condolence and rejection of this terrorist attack.