Suspect admits throwing grenade during Bush visit

Friday, July 22, 2005

TBILISI, Georgia -- A man arrested after a fatal shootout with police admitted in video footage shown Thursday to throwing a grenade during a May rally where President Bush was making a speech. Vladimir Arutyunian's alleged confession came as investigators found grenades and unspecified chemicals in his home on the outskirts of Tbilisi and tried to piece together his motivations in the incident that cast a shadow over a visit meant to showcase Georgia's progress. "I threw the grenade during Bush's speech," Arutyunian said from a hospital room, where he was being treated for wounds suffered during a shootout as police tried to arrest him late Wednesday. One policeman was killed, and the suspect fled into the nearby woods. He was captured about an hour later.

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