 US President George W. Bush speaks in Freedom Square in the Georgian capital Tbilisi.Georgia's security chief confirmed Wednesday an inactive grenade had been found near the place where US President George W. Bush delivered a speech in the capital of Tbilisi. (AFP Photo) |
Gela Bezhuashvili, secretary of the National Security Council, said it was a "so-called engineering grenade" found in "inactive mode", about 30 meters from the tribune where Bush stood on Tuesday.
"The goal is to frighten or to scare people and to attract the attention of mass media," Bezhuashvili said. "The goal has been reached and that is why I'm talking to you now."
"In any case there was no danger whatsoever for the presidents," he said, adding that it is being studied jointly by the Georgian and US sides. Conclusions will be drawn later.
The US Secret Service said on Tuesday that after Bush left Georgia, it had been informed by the Georgian authorities of a report that a hand grenade was thrown within 30 meters of Bush during his speech.
The report said a Georgian security officer picked up the device and removed it from the area.
But Bezhuashvili said it was not thrown but "found" at the place.
Bush spoke in Tbilisi's Freedom Square before he left for the United States after a four-country trip that also included stops in Russia, Latvia and the Netherlands. Enditem