False Bomb Threat at U.S. Embassy in Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY (EFE) – A falsebomb threat was received at the U.S.Embassy here last week, diplomatic andjudicial sources reported.The capital’s district attorney, AmilcarVelazquez, told journalists that the diplomaticmission’s security chief requestedsupport from local authorities after receivingseveral anonymous phone calls claimingthat a bomb had been planted in theembassy.Velazquez said a special team was dispatchedJuly 8 to the U.S. diplomatic missionto look for the alleged explosives, butthe search turned up nothing.He said the embassy reported receivingassorted anonymous calls starting twoweeks ago, but it was not until July 8 thatthe embassy requested the help ofGuatemalan authorities.U.S. Embassy press attaché RyanRowlands did not comment on the alertitself, saying only that no statementswould be made about security mattersaffecting the U.S. government or its diplomaticmissions abroad.The head of the National Police’sexplosives unit, Fidel Martinez, said thathe had sent specialized personnel to theU.S. Embassy as a preventive measure.He said that daily inspections at theU.S., British, Israeli, Spanish and MexicanEmbassies will now be made with theaim of preventing terrorist attacks.