Georgians Apprehend Man Who Threw Grenade at Bush and Saakashvili

[MavKikiNYC]

Man Admits to Throwing Grenade at Bush
The Suspect, Vladimir Arutyunian, Was Injured in a Shootout With Police
By MISHA DZHINDZHIKHASHVILI, AP

TBILISI, Georgia (July 21) - A man arrested after a fatal shootout with police admitted in video footage shown Thursday to throwing a grenade during a May rally where President Bush was making a speech.

Officials said Vladimir Arutyunian made the admission in the hospital where he is being treated for wounds suffered during a shootout.

Vladimir Arutyunian's alleged confession came as investigators found grenades and unspecified chemicals in his home on the outskirts of Tbilisi and tried to piece together his motivations in the incident that cast a shadow over a visit meant to showcase Georgia's progress.

''I threw the grenade during Bush's speech,'' Arutyunian said from a hospital room, where he was being treated for wounds suffered during a shootout as police tried to arrest him late Wednesday.

One policeman was killed, and the suspect fled into the nearby woods. He was captured about an hour later.

Other video footage released Thursday by Georgian authorities showed Arutyunian lying on a gurney being wheeled from the scene, one of his cheeks swollen and bloody. He made an obscene gesture at the camera.

Bush and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili were on the podium in front of a massive crowd in downtown Tbilisi when the live grenade was thrown. The grenade landed less than 100 feet from the podium but did not explode.

A preliminary investigation indicated the grenade's activation device deployed too slowly to detonate, the FBI said.

Authorities have not commented on whether Arutyunian was connected to any separatist groups in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia or nearby Chechnya.

The U.S. Embassy in Georgia said Thursday it ''welcomes the news that the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, through joint efforts with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, diligent detective work and a strong commitment to solving this case, have taken into custody a suspect.''

The embassy declined comment on whether the FBI was involved in the arrest or follow-up.

Saakashvili thanked the police for the successful detention.

''Yesterday our security forces carried out a special operation to detain the suspect in the attempted terrorist act during the speech in Tbilisi on May 10 by President George Bush,'' the president told the Imedi television channel from the Netherlands, where he was on vacation.

''A difficult technical task was carried out. Unfortunately, a police officer was killed during the operation. I would like to tell everyone that in Georgia we have excellent security forces.''

Saakashvili said the suspect ''did not aim to kill the presidents but deliver a huge blow to Georgia's international reputation and the prestige of our country. Thankfully, with God's help, it did not happen.''

Georgian authorities released a photo of the suspect Monday and announced an $80,000 reward for information leading to his identification. Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili said Thursday that several people were claiming the reward.

Officials were giving little information Thursday about Arutyunian, described in news reports as being in his mid-20s and unemployed. But Interior Ministry spokesman Guram Donadze said grenades and unspecified chemicals were found during a search of his home.

Video footage showed police sorting through a pile of items apparently found in his apartment, including a book called ''Initial Military Training'' that was part of the standard curriculum in Soviet schools.

Georgian officials initially claimed the grenade had not been set to explode, and U.S. officials said Bush had been in no danger. But authorities later said the grenade had been a threat to Bush's life.

Bush spoke from behind bulletproof glass as he addressed a huge crowd in a main Tbilisi square as part of a visit aimed at cementing relations between the United States and Georgia's new pro-Western leadership.

Saakashvili, who came to power after the 2003 Rose Revolution that ousted Eduard Shevardnadze, has provoked enmity with his anti-corruption initiatives and insistence on restoring control over two separatist regions.


AP-NY-07-21-05 16:39 EDT