Three Argentine banks bombed as Chinese premier visits
BUENOS AIRES (AFP) – Bombs exploded Wednesday at three banks in the Argentine capital, two owned by US giant Citibank, killing one man and injuring a bomb disposal expert, but police said the identity of the attackers remained a mystery.
No prior warning was given and no claim of responsibility made for the three blasts, police said.
One booby-trapped package exploded at a branch of Citibank in the Caballito district, killing a security guard who was just about to open doors to the public.
The 38-year-old man suffered serious injuries when he picked up a suspicious package and it exploded in his hands, police said. He died later in hospital.
Police experts deactivated a second device at the bank. But a blast outside another Citibank branch in the Barrio Norte district injuring a police bomb squad officer trying to defuse the bomb. The officer suffered leg injuries.
A third explosion went off outside a Banco Galicia branch also in Barrio Norte. The bomb had been left at the foot of a tree outside. The building was damaged but there were no casualties.
All of the bombs went off in the morning rush hour and caused widespread disruption. The attacks were staged as China’s President Hu Jintao visited Buenos Aires.
Police said all four bombs were homemade but had no indications of who was behind the attacks.
The authorities recommended that the public stay away from banks and use automatic cash machines to get money. Police said any suspicious packages should be reported.
Buenos Aires mayor Anibal Ibarra expressed his “deep displeasure” at the attacks after attending a ceremony with the Chinese leader. “Violence cannot be allowed to get established in Argentina,” he said.
Police commissioner Francisco Miglino told a press conference that the security guard had entered the bank with the manager and saw a supermarket box which exploded as he picked it up.
Citibank’s main branch in the capital of neighboring Uruguay, Montevideo, was later evacuated after a bomb threat was made by a telephone caller. Hundreds of people were made to leave nearby buildings.
But Montevideo Police Chief Nelson Rodriguez Rienzo told AFP: “It was a false alarm.”
