Grenade attack suspect arrested

The man suspected of having thrown an RG-42 hand grenade during an outdoor concert in Chisinau on October 14 is now in police custody. The announcement was made by Interiors Minister Victor Catana, and tacitly confirmed by Prosecutor General Valeriu Zubco, during a television program on Friday night, Info-Prim Neo reports. Catana said the suspect tried to abscond and leave the country immediately after the blast, but is currently in police arrest in Chisinau. Zubco, however, refrained from offering details, saying further investigation is needed. Earlier, retired Police Gen. Anton Gamurari said the grenade explosion in the Great National Assembly Square, where people were celebrating the patron saint of Chisinau, was an “antinational act”, a consequence of a policy of social segregation and instigation to interethnic hatred pursued by the once ruling Moldovan Communists Party. “On April 6 and 7, the same methods, with explosives and guns, were tried to be employed. Now the intention is to intimidate the new government on all levels. I think the explosion is an antinational act”, concluded Gamurari. The General Prosecutor’s Office started criminal proceedings on charges of terrorism, punishable under Art.278 of the Penal Code with 8 to 15 years in prison if the act caused severe or medium bodily injuries. The explosion injured 40 persons, 16 of whom are still in hospital.