SANTIAGO SHAKEN BY THIRD BLAST THIS WEEK

Thursday, 14 August 2008
The Santiago Times

Recent Bomb Wave Worries Authorities

Chilean Interior Undersecretary Felipe Harboe announced Wednesday the formation of a specialized unit to deal with the recent spate of bomb attacks in Santiago. His announcement came just hours after the third explosion of the week hit the city, this time outside the Itaú Bank on Avenida Principe de Gales.

The explosion stirred residents of La Reina in the early hours of Wednesday morning as a gunpowder and gas device detonated outside the bank. The blast shattered windows, destroyed two cash machines and started a fire that damaged the bank's interior. The blast also launched the building's door 20 meters down the road.

Footage from the bank’s security cameras captured images of a male entering one of the bank's ATM machine booths shortly before the explosion, and depositing a bag that contained the device. The individual is then filmed fleeing the scene.

This recent Itaú Bank explosion was the third blast in seven days.

The first explosion, on Tuesday of last week, was a homemade noise bomb that rocked the Brazilian Embassy on Alonso Ovalle Street and broke several of the building’s windows.

“We heard a loud noise and thought there had been an accident, but when we went outside there was lots of smoke and we saw someone escaping towards the south of the city,” said local resident José Tobar.

According to Brazilian Ambassador Mario Vilalba, the event was being treated as “An isolated incident with no direct relation to Brazil. There were no previous threats and no local group has yet claimed responsibility.”

The second explosion took place Sunday on Farellones Road, the main road to the ski resorts near Santiago's Metropolitan Region. Around two kilograms of explosives were detonated at the base of a power pylon, damaging the base of the pylon. Still, the explosion did not disrupt the power supply or cause any injuries.

Accompanying this incident was an email sent to the national press by a supposedly subversive group which said its aim was to “sabotage the playground of the rich” and warned the capital to prepare itself for a “subversive September.”

According to Radio Bío Bío, the message alerted citizens to the situation and even provided information to the Citizen Security Department of Lo Barnechea that would have enabled them to go and deactivate the device.

The email also mentioned Johnny Cariqueo Yañez – a young man who suffered a fatal heart attack allegedly brought on by police brutality in March of this year. Cariqueo was one of the 232 people detained following the “Day of the Young Combatant” protests which remembers the death of brothers Rafael and Eduardo Vergara Toledo, killed in 1985 during Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. Protests on this date (March 29) notoriously end in violence and vandalism.

This week’s explosions are just three of around 40 explosions to hit the capital in recent months, many of which have been attributed to anarchist groups. Blasts range from the simple shock tactics of flash-bang bombs to the more dangerous device of Wednesday’s most recent explosion.

Until two weeks ago investigations into the attacks were divided due to their locations in different areas of the city. While District Attorney Francisco Jacir led inquiries in eastern Santiago, prosecutor Emiliano Arias headed up the investigation in the western zone, resulting in an inefficient information exchange.

Following orders issued directly by National Prosecuting Attorney Sabas Chahuán, the two attorneys were allotted specific roles in the inquiry. Jacir is now in charge of the city’s newly formed “Anti-Bomb Division” and Arias is on the hunt for subversive groups and organized crime. The two have strict instructions to share all intelligence gathered.

Harboe stressed the importance of the new investigation divisions. “Along with better information analysis, these preventative measures will allow a more specialized intelligence group to work on the material.”

Authorities found no evidence at the latest blast scene pointing to any particular subversive group.

SOURCE: LA NACION, LA TERCERA, EMOL
By Natalie Hart (editor [at] santiagotimes.cl)

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