'Bomber' Busted in Vienna Fleeing US Embassy

Explosives trigger alarm; 2nd man held
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 2, 2007 3:46 AM CDT
'Bomber' Busted in Vienna Fleeing US Embassy
Police investigate a backpack that contained hand grenades, nails and Islamic literature, near the U.S. embassy in Vienna, Monday, Oct. 1, 2007. They arrested a man, described only as a 42-year-old Bosnia native who now lives in the province of Lower Austria, after he was seen dropping the bag and fleeing...   (Associated Press)

Austrian police yesterday arrested a man after his explosives-laden backpack set off alarms at the US embassy in Vienna. He fled when the bag, filled with grenade-like bombs and nails, triggered metal detectors. He was caught soon after nearby and told police that an acquaintance, who was also later detained, had given him the bag.

The first man, 42, is of Bosnian origin with a home in Austria. He was carrying an Islamic religious book and appeared to be "mentally tattered," said an investigator. "There were a lot of nails in that bag. Had it exploded, it would have had an enormous shrapnel effect," said one investigator. (More Vienna stories.)

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