MIA Issues Interview with Grenade Suspect

Vladimer Arutunian in his hospital room. The Georgian Interior Ministry’s photo

On July 23 the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) issued footage through the Georgian television stations of a short interview with Vladimir Arutunian in which he confirms previous confession about an attempt on life of U.S. President George W. Bush when the latter was delivering speech on Freedom Square in Tbilisi on May 10.

Footage shows Arutunian, who was wounded in fatal clash with the police during his capture late on July 20, in a hospital room. In the interview the suspect speaks in Russian: “I was trying to toss a grenade to a place between the bulletproof glasses from where the shrapnel from a grenade could reach Bush,” Arutunian said.

Arutunian was charged on July 22 with premeditated murder in the killing a security official during the shootout when the police tried to capture him.

In a short interview with Arutunian issued by the Georgian Interior Ministry on July 21 the suspect admits that he has thrown a grenade. 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. 

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)