Chisnau: Over 40 people were
wounded in an explosion described as a "terrorist" attack in
the heart of the Moldovan capital Chisinau as thousands
attended a late night outdoor concert, officials said today.
"There is no doubt that this was a terrorist act
whose aim was to frighten the population," Moldovan Interior
Minister Viktor Katan told reporters after the explosion late
on Wednesday.
He said the investigation had shown the blast was
caused by a grenade of the kind used by the military but did
not give further details of the aims of those who had carried
out the attack.
A criminal investigation has been opened for
terrorism, Valery Zubko, the general prosecutor of Moldova
told reporters.
The explosion took place late Wednesday evening as
Chisinau`s central square was filled with mainly young people
attending a concert to mark city day that included acts from
Moldova, Romania and Russia.
Amplifying the sense of tension in the capital, a
man claiming to carry a grenade threatened to blow himself up
outside the prosecutors office just before the latest briefing
on the explosion was due to take place there.
An AFP correspondent on the scene said the man was
dressed in black and was carrying a black bag which he claimed
carried a grenade. A large crowd of journalists stood at the
scene waiting for the briefing.
Bureau Report
