This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/world/europe/montenegro-embassy-attacked.html

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
U.S. Embassy in Montenegro Is Attacked, but Only the Assailant Is Killed Bomb Thrown at U.S. Embassy in Montenegro; Attacker Kills Himself
(about 4 hours later)
ZAGREB, Croatia — A man threw an explosive device onto the grounds of the United States Embassy in Montenegro late Wednesday, but succeeded in killing only himself, Montenegrin and American officials said. ZAGREB, Croatia — A man threw an explosive device onto the grounds of the United States Embassy in Montenegro, doing only minor damage, and then killed himself with another explosive, the Montenegrin police said on Thursday.
Around midnight local time, witnesses saw the man, who was not identified, throw an object over the wall of the embassy property in Podgorica, the capital, according to the government of Montenegro and to Steve Goldstein, the State Department’s under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs. The blast killed the man but did not injure anyone in the embassy, which was closed for the night. Officers have not determined a motive for the attack in Podgorica, the capital, but they have identified the bomber through DNA testing, said Enis Bakovic, deputy director of the national police. Speaking at a news conference, Mr. Bakovic referred to the man by his initials, D. J., in keeping with the practice of withholding a suspect’s name while an investigation is underway.
Montenegrin authorities said the assailant had committed suicide, and had not yet been identified. The embassy building was not damaged, but an explosion left a crater in the courtyard, officials said. He said that the assailant was a citizen of Montenegro who was born in 1976 in the town of Kraljevo, in neighboring Serbia, and that he had no criminal record.
Statements released by the Montenegrin government indicated that the bomber had used more than one explosive. One statement said that he “was killed due to the activation of an explosive device after having previously thrown an explosive device” onto the embassy grounds, and that the body was found “across the road from” the embassy. Another said that “one person was killed by activating explosive devices.” The Associated Press and news outlets in Serbia identified the man as Dalibor Jaukovic, a former soldier in the army of Yugoslavia.
The attack occurred around midnight local time, while the embassy was closed, and no one was injured. Though the initial blast left a crater in the embassy courtyard, the building was not damaged, officials said. Steve Goldstein, the State Department’s under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, said that security officials had swept the grounds and found no other explosives.
Witnesses saw a man throw an object over the wall of the embassy property shortly before the initial explosion, officials said.
Statements released by the Montenegrin government described the attacker as a suicide bomber. Shortly after the initial explosion, officials said, he killed himself “across the road from” the embassy with a second explosive.
“The Ministry of the Interior and the government of Montenegro condemn in the strongest terms the attack on the U.S. Embassy and express their regret at this event,” the government said.“The Ministry of the Interior and the government of Montenegro condemn in the strongest terms the attack on the U.S. Embassy and express their regret at this event,” the government said.
Mr. Goldstein said that diplomatic security officials had swept the grounds and had found no other explosives. He added that the State Department did not know the motive of the assault or whether it was meant to be a suicide attack.
Montenegro, one of the world’s youngest nations, is a tiny country of 640,000 nestled between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania. It was once part of Yugoslavia, later became part of the nation of Serbia and Montenegro, and declared independence in 2006.Montenegro, one of the world’s youngest nations, is a tiny country of 640,000 nestled between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania. It was once part of Yugoslavia, later became part of the nation of Serbia and Montenegro, and declared independence in 2006.
The interior minister, Mevludin Nuhodzic, and the national police director, Slavko Stojanovic, visited the site of the attack and expressed solidarity with American diplomats, the government said. The state prosecutor, Tanja Colan-Deretic, told state television on Thursday that she had also gone to the embassy to inspect the scene, and that the assailant’s body had been sent to a morgue for an autopsy. Long aligned with Russia, Montenegro joined NATO in June, despite strong opposition from Moscow.
The day of parliamentary elections in October 2016, police officers arrested a group of Serbs and Montenegrins who they said were involved in a conspiracy to overthrow and possibly assassinate Montenegro’s longtime strongman, Milo Djukanovic, to prevent the country from joining NATO. Fourteen people are on trial for the alleged coup plot, including two Russians who escaped the country and are being tried in absentia.
Russia has denied any involvement in the plot.
On Thursday, the interior minister, Mevludin Nuhodzic, and the national police director, Slavko Stojanovic, visited the site of the embassy attack and expressed solidarity with American diplomats, the government said. The state prosecutor, Tanja Colan-Deretic, told state television on Thursday that she had also gone to the embassy to inspect the scene, and that the assailant’s body had been sent to a morgue for an autopsy.