Suspect in Georgia Confesses to Throwing Grenade at President Bush

Less than three months after a grenade was tossed at US President George W. Bush during a visit to Georgia, a Georgian citizen, Vladimir Arutiniani, has admitted to the crime. Authorities are still trying to determine the motivation for Arutiniani's actions.

Arutiniani was arrested during a police raid shortly after midnight on July 21. Later in the day, he confessed to throwing a grenade at Bush while the US president was giving a public address in central Tbilisi on May 10. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The RGD-5 grenade never exploded, and Georgian and US officials have suggested that at no time during the incident was the president's life in danger. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

According to Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili, authorities were able to identify and arrest Arutiniani after they published his photograph on July 18. One Georgian police officer, Zurab Kvlividze, was killed during the arrest operation.

Georgian television broadcast Arutiniani's confession July 21 from the Republican Hospital in Tbilisi where he is recovering from wounds suffered during his arrest. According to Guram Donadze, the spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, Arutiniani has not given a reason for the assassination attempt. "So far he has only said two words," Donadze told EurasiaNet.

Donadze added that the investigation is still ongoing and they plan on making a full statement within the next week. "He admits that he threw the grenade and then uses foul language. Right now he is in bad condition after the operation. When his condition is better we will continue questioning him," he said.

Georgian television stations broadcast footage from the arrest, including footage reportedly taken in Arutiniani's apartment. Military equipment, including grenades and gas masks were visible, although the Interior Ministry has not made any official comments about the investigation or what was found in the apartment. "The investigation is ongoing and I can not tell you any other details," Merabishvili said during a July 21 press conference.

According to Merabishvili, several citizens aided the investigation once the suspect's photograph was shown on television. A reward worth approximately $83,000 will be divided among several people.