Carsten Thomassen (journalist)

Infobox journalist
name = Carsten Thomassen


birth_date = birth date|1969|5|15
birth_place = Norway
age =
death_date = death date and age|2008|1|14|1969|5|15
death_place = Kabul, Afghanistan
occupation = Journalist, political commentator and war correspondent
alias =
status =
title =
family =
spouse =
children = Two
relatives =
ethnic =
religion =
salary =
networth =
credits = Covered the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and Norwegian politicians
URL =
agent = Dagbladet

Carsten Thomassen (15 May 1969 – 14 January 2008) was a respected Norwegian journalist, political commentator and war correspondent for the Norwegian daily newspaper "Dagbladet". [ [http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/01/14/523827.html Er en av de beste - utenriks - Dagbladet.no ] ] He had earlier covered the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake from Thailand and Indonesia. He was killed in the 2008 Kabul Serena Hotel attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. [ [http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/01/14/523837.html Carsten Thomassen (38) er død - utenriks - Dagbladet.no ] ] [ [http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2195778.ece Two Norwegians shot in Kabul, foreign minister safe - Aftenposten.no ] ]

Circumstances of his death

On 14 January 2008, Thomassen was covering Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre's visit to Kabul. Støre and his entourage were staying in the Serena Hotel, as were several foreign reporters and diplomats. While Thomassen was waiting to meet Støre in the lobby, [ [http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/01/15/523956.html Var minutter unna Carsten - utenriks - Dagbladet.no ] ] at least two Talibani terrorists forced their way into the Serena Hotel by killing the guards posted outside the main entrance using hand grenades. At least one of the terrorists was dressed in an Afghan police uniform, which may have delayed the reaction of the PST bodyguards inside the hotel.

Thomassen was wounded in the arm, leg and stomach. Once the firing died down, he received first aid from VG photographer Harald Henden, "Aftenposten" reporter Tor Arne Andreassen, and other unnamed reporters from "Verdens Gang" and TV2. [ [http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/01/15/523866.html Kjempet for Carstens liv - utenriks - Dagbladet.no ] ] [ [http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2196994.ece 'We did what we could' - Aftenposten.no ] ] In the confusion following the attack, he was not evacuated until almost two hours after the attack. He went into shock in the ambulance, and died shortly after while undergoing surgery at a nearby field hospital operated by Czech ISAF forces. Due to the nature of his injuries, it is doubtful that he would have survived even if he had been evacuated earlier. [ [http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/01/16/523972.html Det tok 1 time og 54 minutter før Carsten havnet på operasjonsbordet - utenriks - Dagbladet.no ] ]

At least six other people were killed in the attack, in addition to the terrorists themselves.

Reaction in Norway and abroad

In the wake of the attack, Støre's visit was cut short, [ [http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2197071.ece Foreign Minister heads home - Aftenposten.no ] ] and all remaining Norwegian reporters were evacuated, first to the Norwegian encampment outside Kabul, and later back to Norway by military transport. [ [http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/01/15/523916.html Journalistene på vei hjem - utenriks - Dagbladet.no ] ]

Many Norwegians, and particularly members of the press, reacted to the news of Thomassen's death with great sorrow. Dagbladet set up a [http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/01/14/523839.html web page] to allow members of the public to express their condolences. As of 16 January 2008, more than 4,500 personal messages had been submitted.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg knew Thomassen personally, and was informed of his death while on his way to a previously planned television debate on Norway's involvement in Afghanistan. He withdrew from the debate and immediately issued a statement, calling the terrorist act an attack not only against Norway but also against freedom of speech. [ [http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/01/15/523870.html Et angrep mot Norge - utenriks - Dagbladet.no ] ] The next day, he devoted the first fifteen minutes of a previously planned lecture on environmental issues at Oslo Katedralskole (of which both Thomassen and Stoltenberg were alumni, though ten years apart) to the death of his friend. [ [http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/01/15/523883.html Jeg er veldig preget - utenriks - Dagbladet.no ] ]

The International Press Institute strongly condemned the attack. [ [http://www.freemedia.at/cms/ipi/statements_detail.html?ctxid=CH0055&docid=CMS1200411654407 IPI (International Press Institute) :: IPI Condemns Murder of Norwegian Journalist in Kabul ] ] According to the IPI's Death Watch [ [http://www.freemedia.at/cms/ipi/deathwatch.html IPI (International Press Institute) ] ] , Thomassen was the second journalist to be killed in action in 2008.

Controversy in Norway

Thomassen's death triggered controversy in Norway when it became known that the Norwegian Foreign Ministry had ignored recommendations from PST and Norwegian military intelligence regarding the security arrangements for Støre's visit. [ [http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2199433.ece Security measures questioned after attack in Kabul - Aftenposten.no ] ] One particularly controversial decision, which may have contributed to the Taliban's choice of target, was to publish Støre's itinerary, including the name of the hotel where he would be staying, in advance of the trip. [ [http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/01/15/523923.html UD-rutiner under lupen - utenriks - Dagbladet.no ] ] Furthermore, while it is standard operating procedure for the Norwegian ISAF forces to escort any Norwegian delegation in Afghanistan with a protection detail including a medevac APC, the Foreign Ministry had declined such an escort. [ [http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2008/01/16/523972.html Det tok 1 time og 54 minutter før Carsten havnet på operasjonsbordet - utenriks - Dagbladet.no ] ] Subsequent to the attack, sources within the Norwegian armed forces expressed dismay at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry's lack of proper contingency plans for medical evacuation.

Post-mortal honours

In October 2008, during his first visit to Afghanistan after the Serene attack, Foreign Minister Støre made a stop to honour Thomassen's memory and was told by the Afghan education minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar that a library to constructed as part of the Afghan National Institute for Administration and Management will be named in memory of the deceased journalist. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Gahr Støre revisits Kabul amid stringent security measures |url=http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article2703905.ece |work= |publisher=Aftenposten |date=9 October 2008 |accessdate=2008-10-10 ]

References