BELARUS: Belarus blast, not far from leader, wounds 50

Record ID: 359358

  • Title: BELARUS: Belarus blast, not far from leader, wounds 50
  • Date: 4th July 2008
  • Summary: AMBULANCES AND POLICE CAR DRIVING TO BLAST SCENE INJURED BEING HELPED INTO AMBULANCE BROKEN BOTTLE ON GROUND, PIECES OF NUTS AND BOLTS ON GROUND - MAN SHOWING BOLT BELARUS PRESIDENT ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO WITH EMERGENCY WORKERS AT SCENE VARIOUS OF INVESTIGATORS AT SCENE
  • Embargoed: 19th July 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Belarus
  • Country: Belarus
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA1IL7XNCNZ74XS03MLPWYMTR10
  • Story Text: Fifty people are wounded by a home-made bomb in Belarus's capital Minsk, at a concert attended by President Alexander Lukashenko. A second bomb found in the capital fails to detonate, according to the Belarus Interior Ministry.
    About 50 people were wounded by a home-made bomb in Belarus's capital on Friday (July 4) at an Independence Day concert attended by long-time ruler President Alexander Lukashenko, officials said.
    Lukashenko, criticised by the West for ruling the ex-Soviet state with an iron grip since the mid-1990s, was not far from the blast but was unhurt and did not appear to be the target, his spokesman said.
    Presidential spokesman Pavel Legkiy told Reuters Lukashenko "reached the site of the explosion within several minutes. He did not stay long so as not to interfere with the work of the emergency services".
    A police official said earlier the likely motive for the bomb was "hooliganism" -- a term commonly used by officials in former Soviet states to play down the significance of an attack.
    Police initially said 40 people had been wounded but the Health Ministry later raised the figure to about 50.
    Doctor Victor Serenko, head of Ambulance Services, said three patients are being treated in the intensive care.

    "We have four patients here, three are in intensive care but they are stable and will be moved to a normal ward, one is in intensive care and in critical condition," he said.
    The bomb went off in a big square in Minsk shortly after midnight local time (2100 GMT), while thousands were attending the concert. A Reuters witness said the explosion left a pit 20 cms (7.874 inches) deep with blood spattered on the grass around it.
    Interior Minister Vladimir Naumov later told reporters a second bomb had been found in the capital and that it had failed to go off.

    "At the moment all Interior Ministry bodies, security services and the Prosecutor's office are working to investigate this crime. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that we found another explosive device which left clues and it will help us to solve this crime more quickly," said Naumov.
    Police said the discovery of the second device could help their investigation.
    The West has accused Lukashenko, a close Russian ally, of gagging independent media, quelling protests and incarcerating opponents. The European Union and the United States have banned him from entry, saying he rigged his re-election in 2006.
    Lukashenko argues he has helped save Belarus from the political and economic chaos of other ex-Soviet states and remains broadly popular in the country of 10 million, wedged between Russia and Poland.
    There have been no known assassination attempts against him.
    In 2005, a home-made explosive device wounded more than 40 people in the northern city of Vitebsk.
    A little known, anti-Lukashenko group calling itself the "Belarussian National Liberation Army" later claimed responsibility but no one was convicted for the attack.
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