Crowd stampede...
That the grenade didn't go off makes me wonder what sort of tech wizardry we've got in place. It's mighty tough to stop a chemical fuse, after all, so someone's being clever again.
Posted on 05/18/2005 5:58:09 AM PDT by M. Thatcher
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) -- The FBI said Wednesday that a grenade thrown in the crowd during last week's speech by President Bush in the Georgian capital was capable of exploding and was considered a threat against the president. The statement by agent Bryan Paarmann contradicted initial reports by Georgian officials that the grenade was not capable of exploding and had been found on the ground. The grenade, wrapped in a dark handkerchief, fell about 100 feet from the podium where Bush was speaking May 10 and "simply failed to function," he said. "We consider this act to be a threat against the health and welfare of the president of the United States as well as the welfare of the multitudes of Georgian people who turned up for this event," Paarmann said. Bush spoke to tens of thousands of people in Freedom Square, a main plaza in Tbilisi. He offered strong support for Georgia's democratic development following the 2003 Rose Revolution. The crowd response was overwhelmingly favorable. Advertisement No arrests have been made in the case, and police have appealed to the public for videotapes that may contain information on the perpetrator.
(Excerpt) Read more at ap.washingtontimes.com ...
Amen! Answered prayers for God's protection.
Exactly!
Except of course for the fuse assembly which can nail you at a lot greater distance
I heard on the radio today that the grenade's failure was due to "shallow penetration of the firing pin", which apparently was caused by the improper release of the arming mechanism. In other words, it sounds like what you describe -- that the spoon got hung up in the cloth and that that messed up the mechanics of the firing pin somehow.
It may not have been defective but the fuse simply failed to ignite due to improper procedure. The one who picked up the grenade would have seen that the grenade was not operating.
Thank You, Jesus, that no one, including the President, was hurt or killed by this attempt.
Thankfully, we see the prayers of the saints at work in unseen ways protecting this man and those around him.
Father, may Your hand continue to protect George and Laura Bush all their days in any way they need it. You see the threats, You see the potential assassins, You know how to stop and thwart them, and for this, I continually pray. Keep Your angels with President and Mrs. Bush as a mighty, impenetrable phalanx around them and those with them at all times. Nothing is impossible with You, and I ask You to keep this couple in life, utterly unharmed by all the weapons of the enemy. Speak the word that will keep them alive and untouched by the enemy. I bless Your Name for refusing to allow that grenade to detonate.
I pray You will do this in Iraq as well. Confound the jihadists by refusing to allow their weapons and bombs to work. Lead the Iraqis and allies to their weapons caches. Reveal everything the enemy is hiding before it can become deadly. Protect, bless, and guide those brave people standing up to jihad. Fill Iraq with so many of Your holy angels that the devil has no room to move. Slap down the works of darkness, overthrow them. Let confusion reign in their camp so fiercely that no two can agree on anything. Let strife and turmoil lead them to err and reveal themselves. Give the rest of our enemies into our hands, O Lord. In Jesus' Name.
Yep.
Well isn't this just fabulous news. (sarcasm)
UG. These must be the idiots (DU) who still proudly display their Kerry/Edwards bumper stickers (You see more of those the further north you get)
Crowd stampede...
That the grenade didn't go off makes me wonder what sort of tech wizardry we've got in place. It's mighty tough to stop a chemical fuse, after all, so someone's being clever again.
Thank you for reminding us.
What about a piece of schrapnel to the temple?
Thank God.
Long Live Bush!!!
yup, a terrorist had a "Squeeky Fromm" momment... she put the clip into a .45, pointed it at Pres.Ford and pulled the trigger... thank God she wasn't smart enough to pull back the slide to load the chamber!!!
As to the range or kill wound radius....if you can see Mr Grenade , Mr Grenade can see you.......100 feet ain't squat. If it was dropped into the crowd they'd have absorbed the frag and blast but the golden BB effect is in play out beyond 100 feet easily.
Per my experience only.....
He was at greater risk from the blood and guts flung when
the crowds of innocent well wishers were killed.
"What about a piece of schrapnel to the temple?"
It's a possibility. As I said, it's a possibility, but at that distance, highly improbable.
"Why downplay this as not a very lethal act just because the President was not within the accepted kill radius?"
Yup, a "close call" is not insignificant just because something went wrong for the assassin's plot. I would guess the % of grenades that DO explode as intended is very high, unless it's a very old munition, AND there are plenty of people who COULD have thrown it an additional 50-100 feet if the circumstances allowed. I don't see any reason to regard this casually - this was a serious assassination attempt that could easily have wounded or killed our great president.
I could find NO description of the "grenade" as a "shrapnel" type..
It could have been any number of types of grenades in the Soviet arsenal...
Had it been some form of lethal gas, biological agents, white phosphous or ?????, perhaps 100 feet may have been within its effective range..
I doubt we'll ever learn...
Semper Fi
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