(29 Sep 2004)

1. Street with police car driving towards scene UPSOUND: siren
2. Various of emergency vehicles at scene
3. People watching scene
4. Various of emergency vehicles at scene
5. Man on phone where site is cordoned off
6. Fire trucks at scene
7. Emergency workers at scene
8. Various wide shots of buildings in area
9. Long shot of emergency vehicles and people

STORYLINE

A bomb went off in a downtown Warsaw business district on Wednesday, injuring one person as well as punching a hole in a wall and shattering windows, police said.

The bomb, which was hidden in a briefcase, exploded at around 1 p.m. (1100GMT) on the top floor of a modern glass-and-stone building, police Spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said.

Poland, as a staunch supporter of the US-war on Iraq and the commander of the multinational force in the country, was threatened with reprisal attacks in July in an online statement from a group calling itself Tawhid Islamic Group.

But police said the bombing appeared to be a grudge.

"We suspect that it wasn't terrorism, but rather a settling of accounts," Sokolowski told The Associated Press.

Sokolowski didn't immediately have further details.

Piotr Cichowlas, 27, a cook in a bar across the street, said he had just pulled up for work when he heard "a very loud explosion."

"There were just a few people in front of the building and they ran to get away from the falling glass, but there was no big panic."

Police appeared on the scene three minutes later, Cichowlas said.

People were evacuated from the building and from two buildings across the street, and the injured man was taken to a hospital, authorities said.

A medical tent was also set up at the site to care for possible victims, but there did not appear to be any others in need of help.

The only sign of the blast were five smashed windows on the top floor.

The explosion went off in a hallway of the building, which is owned by Kolmex, a Polish company that provides services and products to railway companies.

Kolmex sublets some of the offices to other companies, including Sony Corporation.

Nobody was immediately available at the company for comment.

Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ] ​​
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]


You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]

свернуть