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Peruvian
police are taking stricter measures to ensure security for
Bush’s visit |
LIMA,
Peru, March 21 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Nine people
were killed and 30 injured when two car bombs exploded near the
United States Embassy in the Peruvian capital Lima, news agencies
reported.
No
American citizens were injured or killed according to an American
State Department official, the BBC said.
Interior
Minister Fernando Rospigliosi said one of the dead victims was a
police officer inspecting one of the suspicious vehicles.
U.S.
Embassy officials issued a statement condemning "the barbaric
terrorist bombing" and extended their “deepest sympathies to
the victims and their families."
"The
United States government is providing all possible assistance to
Peruvian authorities so those responsible for this horrific crime
are brought to justice" the statement said.
U.S.
President George W Bush was scheduled to visit Peru three days after
the bombing, and has not yet officially canceled it. According to
the BBC, he will hold a mini-summit with Toledo and members of the
Andean Trade Preference Act to discuss regional trade issues, war on
terrorism, and fighting drugs.
One
hundred and fifty leftist demonstrators had marched on the US
embassy Tuesday protesting Bush’s visit. Reuters reported that
they said they had held these protests against what they claim is
“U.S. interventionism” in the region and had posted slogans such
as "Bush -- go away," "Yankee go home" and
"You won't make it to Peru alive."
Peruvian
President Alejandro Toledo, told RPP radio in Mexico, where he cut
short his visit to attend a U.N. development summit, that he
guarantees Bush’s safety throughout the visit adding that he is
going to apply a hardline policy within the framework of the law.
Interior
Minister, Fernando Rospigliosi, said he was "certain that there
was no way President Bush will change his plans to visit Peru
because of this terrorist attack" the AP reported.
Toledo
condemned the attacks and expressed his “condolences to the
families of the victims who have been hit in such a cowardly way by
a terrorist attack," adding "I will not permit democracy
to be undermined by terrorist attacks…we will not yield even a
centimeter to terrorism."
According
to Agence France-Presse (AFP), police said one of the car bombs
exploded at 11:30 p.m. (0430 GMT Thursday) outside a Banco de
Credito de Lima branch office at the El Polo shopping center in the
eastern Lima neighborhood of La Molina, and the other 100 meters
from the U.S. embassy.
The
bank and shopping center suffered extensive losses as well as three
other cars being set on fire. The U.S. embassy’s fort-like
structure was undamaged.
Peruvian
authorities had tightened security around Lima preceding Bush's
visit, canceling all leave for the city's 22,000 police officers,
AFP reported.
Diez-Canseco
said the Peruvian government would not be intimidated by the rebirth
of terrorism, and that he had called an emergency, overnight cabinet
meeting.
Reuters
added to this that the Peruvian government has said that during
Bush’s visit, flights over Lima will be forbidden as well
unauthorized air traffic being shot down. Streets traffic congested
Lima will also be blocked.
According
to the BBC, police said two other bombs had gone off in Peru on
Tuesday and Wedenesday but had injured no one. The first was a
grenade thrown out of a car in northeastern Lima, the latter was a
small bomb that exploded outside of telephone company.
Although
no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, officials seem to
be pointing the finger at leftist parties.
Peru's
leftist Shining Path guerrilla organization was practically
disassembled under Peru’s former president Alberto Fujimori. From
1980 to 1992, Almost 25,000 deaths and 30 billion dollars in damage
between 1980 to 1992 have been attributed to them.
Another
leftist but smaller group, Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement was
also eliminated during this period.
