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| Europe |
| Grenade Explodes at Austrian Disco |
| 2002-07-27 |
| A hand grenade exploded early Saturday in a makeshift discotheque frequented by young Balkan immigrants in Linz, wounding 27 teenager, two seriously. The grenade exploded at about 3:20 a.m. at the X-Large Disco. Bits of grenade were found near the disc jockey's booth. The wounded – most ages 15 to 19 – were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment of light shrapnel wounds, and all but two were released. Police had no motive for the attack, and the Federal Criminal Bureau, Austria's equivalent of the FBI, was sending explosives experts to the scene. About 40 people were inside the disco at the time. Authorities said the disco and a small adjoining restaurant were popular hangouts for young Serbian and Croatian immigrants. Police said they had been called to the club several months ago to investigate reports that youths were fighting with swords there. Hand grenades are easily obtained by gangs and other criminals in Western Europe. Authorities say many of the grenades originate in the Balkans, left over from the wars that followed the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. You seldom see hand grenades in American discos. On the other hand, the Eurogun control are much more stringent than the ones in the USA. Maybe they should copy our grenade control laws? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |