The Zona Rosa attack was a guerrilla attack that took place in the Zona Rosa restaurant area of San Salvador, El Salvador at approximately 21:30 on June 19, 1985, during the Salvadoran Civil War. The attack was conducted by gunmen dressed as Salvadoran soldiers, and in total twelve people were killed: four United States Marines, two United States businessmen, a Guatemalan, a Chilean, and four Salvadorans. A left-wing guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers, and its armed wing, the Mardoqueo Cruz Urban Commando claimed responsibility for the attack.
In July 1985, as part of the Combat Terrorism Act, the United States offered a reward of US$100,000 for information leading to the conviction of the attackers. By September 1985, the Salvadoran government had arrested four men; one of them was Amrico Mauro Araujo, a high-ranking Salvadoran Communist Party official. Seven others who were involved in the attack, however, were never apprehended.
The Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers (Spanish: Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores Centroamericanos, PRTC) was a political party in Central America.
1985Jun, 19
Members of the Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers, dressed as Salvadoran soldiers, attack the Zona Rosa area of San Salvador.
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Events on 1985
- 10Jan
Daniel Ortega
Sandinista Daniel Ortega becomes president of Nicaragua and vows to continue the transformation to socialism and alliance with the Soviet Union and Cuba; American policy continues to support the Contras in their revolt against the Nicaraguan government. - 13May
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Police release a bomb on MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia to end a stand-off, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents. - 25May
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Bangladesh is hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge, which kills approximately 10,000 people. - 6Jun
Auschwitz concentration camp
The grave of "Wolfgang Gerhard" is opened in Embu, Brazil; the exhumed remains are later proven to be those of Josef Mengele, Auschwitz's "Angel of Death"; Mengele is thought to have drowned while swimming in February 1979. - 13Sep
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Super Mario Bros. is released in Japan for the NES, which starts the Super Mario series of platforming games.