Reuters

Belarus bomb injures dozens

Updated 15.55 Fri Jul 04 2008

About 50 people have been wounded by a home-made bomb at a concert in Belarus.

The explosion sprayed nuts and bolts into the crowd at an open-air show in the capital Minsk attended by long-term ruler Alexander Lukashenko.

The explosion sprayed nuts and bolts into the crowd at an open-air show in the capital Minsk attended by long-term ruler Alexander Lukashenko

The president, who has ruled the ex-Soviet state with an iron grip since the mid-1990s, was not hurt in the blast and denied it was an assassination attempt.

The bomb went off in a square in the city shortly after midnight, while thousands were attending a concert marking Independence Day.

The Interior Ministry said 50 people were injured by shrapnel, three seriously. The victims were mainly young people and included at least two children aged five and six.

A second, unexploded bomb was found near the blast site.

Presidential spokesman Pavel Legkiy said: "This was not an attempted assassination on the president. That is my personal opinion, not as a specialist, but as a person who was at the scene."

The opposition said it was worried the latest blast could be used against them ahead of fair elections due in September.

The United Civic Party called on Mr Lukashenko's regime "to refrain from the temptation to use the incident to conduct a parliamentary election campaign under emergency conditions and to organise a crusade against political opponents."

The West has accused Mr Lukashenko of gagging independent media, quelling protests and incarcerating opponents. The European Union has banned him from entry, saying he rigged his re-election in 2006.

In 2005, a home-made explosive device wounded more than 40 people in the northern city of Vitebsk. A little-known anti-Lukashenko group, The Belarussian National Liberation Army, claimed responsibility.