Terror all Over: Packaged bomb blast at France gets several injured

May 25, 2019:

On Friday, a package bomb exploded on a busy street in the French city of Lyon on Friday, injuring at least seven people and prompting a probe by anti-terrorism investigators.

The small blast took place in a central shopping area in Lyon at around 5:30 p.m. outside a bakery, shattering the glass from a refrigerator, local officials said.

The package bomb had been stuffed with screws, nuts and bolts.

“What I saw was a refrigerated cooler in the Brioche Dorée [bakery] whose windows had been shattered,” said the mayor of Lyon’s second district, Denis Broliquier.

“It was the windows . . . that superficially injured the people who were one, two or three meters away.”

Broliquier added that “the fridge itself wasn’t that damaged, which means the device had low force.”

“It’s not the apocalypse,” he said. “There’s no danger. There’s no risk.”

A waitress at a nearby restaurant recalled the panic caused by the blast.

“We heard an explosion. I was working on the terrace and people started running,” the waitress, Hanane Benakkouche, told.

“Policemen arrived quickly on the scene. I’m still shocked.”

The victims, including an 8-year-old girl, all suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were expected to recover.

The BBC reported that police were searching for a cyclist seen leaving the package at the scene.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the blast an “attack” during a live interview. He confirmed there had been no fatalities and sent “a thought for the injured and their families.”

The explosion took place in Lyon’s central Presqu’ile area, which lies between the Rhone and Saone rivers.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is scheduled to start in France on June 7. Lyon, the country’s third-largest city, will host the soccer tournament’s semifinals and then the final on July 7.

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner tweeted on Friday that he had instructed Lyon authorities to strengthen “the security of public sites and sporting, cultural and religious events.”

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe canceled an appearance at a European elections-related meeting in Paris due to the Lyon explosion.

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