Suspect Admits Tossing Grenade
Vladimer Arutunian, 27, who was arrested in a fatal clash with the police late on July 20, admitted that he tossed a hand-grenade into a crowd during President Bush?s speech in May. The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi has already hailed arrest of Bush grenade suspect.
The only comment made by Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili on July 21 about the case was that the suspect was arrested after receiving valuable information from several citizens, after the Interior Ministry issued on July 18 photos of a suspect, whose identities by that time were unknown for the law enforcers. Vano Merabishvili said that bounty of USD 83,000 will go to these unspecified number of persons, who identities will remain confidential.
?The investigation is on and I can not tell you any other details,? the Interior Minister said at a news conference on July 21.
The Interior Ministry was mainly disseminating information on July 21 about the case through the video footage shot by the Ministry?s press office and broadcasted by the Georgian television stations.
The footage issued by the Ministry early on Thursday showed an apartment where the suspect lived. Several hand-grenades, uniforms, a night vision device and several gasmasks, as well as military guidelines were seen on this tape. No statement or comment by the Interior Ministry officials followed this footage so no details of what exactly was found in the apartment are known yet.
Later on Thursday the Ministry issued a short interview with the suspect. The footage shows Arutunian, who was injured in a shootout with the police on July 20, in his hospital room. When answering the question asked by spokesman of the Interior Ministry Guram Donadze: ?Did you toss a hand-grenade?? Arutunian replays: ?Yes.?
When asked why he did it, the suspect starts answering: ?because Bush?? and then the footage is bleeped out, apparently to censor swearing.
Meanwhile the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi issued a statement on July 21 and welcomed arrest of the suspect. ?The U.S. Government appreciates the hard work of the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the bravery and dedication of Georgian law enforcement that has brought this man into custody. The level of information exchange [between the Georgian Interior Ministry and FBI], liaison, and expertise displayed were truly a model for international law enforcement cooperation,? the statement reads.
Arutunian was arrested in an operation, which resulted in the death of one security official and the injury of the suspect himself, in Vashli-Jvari, the suburb of Tbilisi, late on July 20.
According to the FBI a hang-grenade, which was tossed into the crowd on May 10 during President Bush?s visit was a live device which simply failed to function.
