A mysterious explosion in Venezuela (hat tip Vlad Tepes):
Mortar shell explosion kills one, injures 5 in Venezuela
One person was killed and other five were injured when a mortar shell exploded in a central Venezuelan city, the Civil Protection (PC) authorities said on Monday.
PC regional director Jacobo Vidarte said the explosion occurred at noon Monday in Maracay city, capital of Aragua state, 109 km from the capital of Caracas.
Vidarte said the blast was first believed to be caused by a gas cylinder, but it turned out to be a 60-mm mortar shell.
The injured, including a 5-year-old child, were taken to hospitals.
The question is, was this a 60-mm shell that was lying around and exploded, or was this a shell that was fired at these people?
The United States is monitoring “carefully” Venezuela’s decision to purchase Russian arms worth USD 5 billion, as it considers that President Hugo Chávez is trying to “a war” against another country, according to statements of a US government’s spokesman published on Monday in the Nicaraguan press.
Gregory Adams, the US State Department Spokesman for Latin America, said to Nicaraguan newspaper El Nuevo Diario de Managua that for Washington “is a little bit difficult” to see how an important ally as Brazil rejects sanctions against Iran and its nuclear program, DPA reported.
“We find it remarkable that Chávez is buying conventional weapons, and we do not know against who he will make war,” Adams said. At the same time, he regretted that these resources are not used to solve the deficiencies affecting the Venezuelan people.
Adams stressed that among the weapons that Venezuela will buy from Russia there are “tanks, combat helicopters, submarines, which are offensive weapons. What are they for? we do not know. He has never stated their purpose.”
We’ll find out, sooner or later.
