Officials Say Grenade Thrown at Bush in Georgia, No One Hurt
May 10, 2005 -- -- A device identified as a grenade was thrown within 100 feet of the stage where President Bush was giving a speech today in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, local authorities told the U.S. Secret Service. The device did not go off and no one was hurt, the Secret Service said.
Local police told the Secret Service the device was thrown as Bush spoke in Freedom Square in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital. The device hit someone and fell to the ground about 100 feet away from the stage, where local authorities grabbed it, Georgian officials told the Secret Service.
The Secret Service said it was unaware of any disturbance until it was informed of the incident by Georgian police.
It was not clear whether the device was a live grenade. The Secret Service said none of its personnel had seen the device, but it was taking the matter seriously. Secret Service agents were in Tblisi investigating.
Bush was in Georgia on the last leg of a five-day, four-country trip that included stops in Latvia, the Netherlands and Russia.
In Tbilisi, he was cheered by tens of thousands of onlookers as he applauded the Georgian people's push for democracy.
"Your courage is inspiring democratic reformers and sending a message that echoes across the world: Freedom will be the future of every nation and every people on Earth," he said.
The president and Mrs. Bush were back in Washington this evening.
ABC News' Pierre Thomas contributed to this report.
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