Posted on 09/28/2001 4:15:27 AM PDT by maquiladora
Police have defused a letter bomb found near the main entrance to the heavily guarded US Embassy in Santiago, Chile.
Police said embassy security personnel alerted them to the suspicious envelope. It is understood to have contained a small amount of explosive, and local radio said it also contained anti-US pamphlets.
A government official said an official report was being prepared but that no arrests had been made.
No one immediately took responsibility, and it was not clear how the envelope was left near the embassy, where security has been reinforced since the September 11th attacks on the US.
Pinochet blowback?
However, the anti-American sentiment in Chile is about the same as it is in Europe, but Chile and the U.S. enjoy pretty friendly relations (especially since they want to become part of NAFTA).
The U.S. military regularly participates in training exercises with the Chilean military. I recently saw a program on the History Channel about the Navy Seals, and they were conducting training exercises with their Chilean counterparts.
This letter bomb is probably from some Marxist taking advantage of the situation to express his hatred for the U.S.
Chile does have a large, well-established Palestinian population that began to establish themselves in Chile about 100 years ago, when the Middle East was controlled by the Ottoman Turks. Even today in Chile, Chileans of Middle-Eastern descent are referred to as "Turkos". They have their own soccer team, but I can't remember its name.
Carta bomba amenazó embajada de EE.UU. en Santiago
Jueves 27 de Septiembre de 2001, 19:27
Agencias/emol.com
CONCEPCIÓN.- Expertos de la policía desactivaron esta tarde una carta bomba recibida hoy alrededor de las 16:00 horas en la embajada de EE.UU. en Santiago, según informaron fuentes diplomáticas y policiales.
El sobre fue entregado por un mensajero en la recepción de la sede diplomática, situada en el límite de los municipios santiaguinos de Providencia y Las Condes, y no alcanzó a entrar al edificio puesto que funcionarios dieron aviso a la policía, la que habría estado al tanto del hecho por una llamada telefónica anónima, hecho que fue confirmado esta noche por el ministro del Interior, José Miguel Insulza.
Personal del Grupo de Operaciones Especiales de Carabineros procedió a desarmar el paquete y comprobó que contenía una carga de nitrato de amonio, conectada a un detonador eléctrico y envuelta en octavillas con leyendas insultantes contra EE.UU.
"Efectivamente, tras ser analizada por personal del grupo de operaciones especiales, se comprobó que era una carta explosiva", dijo el jefe de comunicaciones de Carabineros, comandante Oscar Gutiérrez.
Juan Pablo Varela, encargado de comunicaciones de la embajada, destacó que en ningún momento se suspendió la atención de público y que todo el operativo se desarrolló de manera discreta.
La carga explosiva fue calificada "de baja intensidad" por la policía, aunque de explotar pudo causar graves heridas a quien la manipulase.
Como un acto propagandístico consideró el hecho el Ministro del Interior, José Miguel Insulza, quien esta noche, en el Palacio de La Moneda, se refirió a la acción, que fue analizada previamente por autoridades de Gobierno.
Junto con considerar que el explosivo no tiene que ver con acciones terroristas internacionales, el secretario de estado dijo que "se aplicará todo el rigor de la ley a quienes realicen amenazas o bromas de este tipo", y llamó a la población a estar en calma.
Insulza indicó además, que mañana viernes serán puestas a disposición de la justicia dos personas involucradas en un hecho relacionado con la presunta existencia de un artefacto explosivo en un avión, lo que fue anunciado a través de una llamada telefónica, señalando que uno de los autores está confeso.
Esta es el primer caso real de un intento de atentado que se produce en Chile tras los ataques del pasado día 11 en EE.UU., período en que se han registrado en Santiago y otras ciudades decenas de alarmas de bombas que han resultado ser falsas.
La sede diplomática permanece bajo estrictas medidas de seguridad
Off the wall commentary: I suspect the juvenile left here has been disoriented by the September 11th atrocity – it has further discredited in the public’s eyes the use of violence for political purposes, and it has discredited anti-Americanism. A little terror-lite - from the intellectual bullying at the dinner table to a pipe bomb at a cultural-imperialist Macdonald’s - has always been acceptable to the comfortable left. In their hearts, the ends do justify the means. Why is the self-righteous and enlightened left everywhere howling so over the “root causes” and the yet-hypothetical response of the US government to this atrocity? Even though 99% of them would never kill 6000 innocents in a day, they know this exposes them to a popular scrutiny they thought they had managed to avoid with their holier-than-thou poses of fighting for social justice. I suspect that the persons who planted this trivial bomb are frustrated and more outraged at America than ever – How dare America be perceived as a victim! How dare America be the focus of world sympathy! How dare America look reasoned and deliberate in how it is responding to what should be seen by the world as payback for its imperial oppression and embarrassing, arrogant talk of right and wrong! How dare America permit its punishment for its crimes to be turned into a reaction against the use of all types of violence and social disruption by those who have no other way to fight against their legitimate oppression! How dare America permit the deaths of its citizens to change the subject from we want to talk about!
I don't have the numbers but I would bet that the majority of Arabs in Chile are Christian.
Even here, sad to say.
You're probably right about that. Apparently most Americans of Middle Eastern descent are Christians, too.
Letter pump threatened embassy of the U.S.A. in Santiago Thursday 27 of September of 2001, 19:27 Agencias/emol.com CONCEPTION. - Experts of the police deactivated a this letter late pump received today around the 16:00 hours in the embassy of the U.S.A. in Santiago, according to diplomatic and police sources informed. On it was given by a messenger in the reception of the diplomatic seat, located in the limit of the santiaguinos municipalities of Providence and the Counts, and it did not reach to enter the building since civil employees gave warning to the police, the one that would be been to as much of the fact by an anonymous telephone call, fact that was confirmed tonight by the minister of the Interior, Jose Miguel Insulza. Personnel of the Group of Special Operations of Customs officers came to disarm the package and verified that he contained a nitrate load of ammonium, connected to an electrical detonator and surrounded in octavillas with offensive legend against the U.S.A.. " Indeed, after being analyzed by personnel of the group of special operations, it was verified that it was an explosive letter ", said the head of communications of Customs officers, commander Oscar Gutiérrez. Juan Pablo Varela, ordered of communications of the embassy, emphasized that at no moment the public attention was suspended and who all the operative one was developed of discreet way. The explosive charge was described " as low intensity " by the police, although to explode it could cause serious wounded to that manipulated it. As a propagandistic act considered the fact the Minister of the Interior, Jose Miguel Insulza, who tonight, in the Palace of the Currency, talked about the action, that was analyzed previously by authorities of Government. Along with to consider that the explosive does not have to do with international terrorist actions, the Secretary of State said that " all the rigor of the law will be applied to those who make threats or jokes of this type ", and called to the population to be in calm. Insulza indicated in addition, that tomorrow Fridays will be put to disposition of justice two people involved in a fact related to the presumed existence of an explosive device in an airplane, which was announced through a telephone call, indicating that one of the authors is confeso. This is the first real case on an attempt of attack that takes place in Chile after the attacks of last day 11 in the U.S.A., period in which they have been registered in Santiago and other cities tens of alarms of pumps that have turned out to be false. The diplomatic seat remains under strict safety measures
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.