Belarus Headlines

Blast at Concert in Minsk About 50 people were wounded by a home-made bomb in Minsk on Friday, July 3 at an Independence Day concert attended by President Aliaxandr Lukashenka. The injured were mainly young people, although they included at least two small children aged five and six. Presidential spokesman Pavel Legki told Reuters Lukashenka "reached the site of the explosion within several minutes". The second, unexploded bomb had been found near the blast site almost two hours before the explosion, first deputy interior minister Aliaksandr Shchurko told in his interview to kp.by. Police said its discovery should help their investigation. Lukashenka said he did not consider the blast, which injured over 50 people but did not harm him, as an assassination attempt. But on Monday he strongly criticized Security Council chief Viktar Sheiman for failing to prevent the incident. "I don't think that you should remain in your position after this incident," Lukashenka told Sheiman, according to state news agency BelTA. "You are the first to be guilty," he added. Meanwhile there have been searches in the Belarusian opposition activists’ apartments. At least 6 people were detained in connection with the investigation while one of them is a 25-year old Belarusian who posted a message on a Russian web-site about a possible explosion in Minsk. Security Council chief Viktar Sheiman and the Head of presidential administration Genadz’ Niavyglas were dismissed from their posts Tuesday July 8.