GEORGIA: Georgian sentenced to life for U.S. President George W. Bush grenade attack

Record ID: 643450

  • Title: GEORGIA: Georgian sentenced to life for U.S. President George W. Bush grenade attack
  • Date: 12th January 2006
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) LIZA JAPARIDZE, LAWYER FOR VLADIMIR ARUTUNYAN SAYING: "In fact this is two life sentences which are usually considered for acts of terrorism. One terrorist act was considered as the act against the prominent political figure of our country and the second act against the prominent political figure of the other country (United States). ASKED IF THERE WOULD BE AB APPEAL, JAPARIDZE SAYS: "Yes, there will be an appeal."
  • Embargoed: 27th January 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Georgia
  • Country: Georgia
  • Reuters ID: LVAA32MWN5A34ZRQFBRBMOWMRA5B
  • Story Text: A man who tried to blow up U.S. President George W. Bush with a grenade in the former Soviet state of Georgia last year was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday (January 11), a court said.
    Vladimir Arutunyan, a Tbilisi resident, threw the grenade at Bush while the president was addressing a crowd in the main square of the Georgian capital last May.
    U.S. officials said at the time the grenade, which landed within 50 metres of Bush, failed to explode because of a malfunction.
    Arutunyan confessed to the crime but later retracted his confession. His lawyer Liza Japaridze said he would appeal.
    The security scare marred Bush's trip to Georgia, intended to show U.S. support for the government that came to power after the "Rose Revolution" of 2003.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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