A group of nine hooded people launched a series of bombs on the headquarters of the Argentine newspaper Clarín on Monday night (22).
The attack was filmed by security cameras, which captured the moment when the group arrived on foot, at 11:05 pm, and launched at least seven Molotov cocktails — a type of homemade bomb in which a flammable liquid is placed inside a glass bottle — against the building of one of the country’s main vehicles.
The bombs damaged the facade of the building and started a fire at the entrance, but no injuries were caused. The fire department arrived minutes later, but there was no need to intervene as the fires extinguished themselves.
The motives for the crime are not yet known. According to the newspaper, investigators were able to identify fingerprints on one of the bottles that did not explode.
In a statement, Grupo Clarín, the country’s largest media conglomerate, which in addition to editing the newspaper also owns the sports car Olé and TV channels Trece and Todo Noticias, condemned the attack, which it called a “violent expression of intolerance”.
The attack was repudiated by politicians and organizations across the country. The president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, condemned the attack on a social network. “Violence always disrupts democratic coexistence. We hope that the facts are clarified and the perpetrators identified,” he wrote.
His predecessor, Mauricio Macri, said the attack “is a very serious attempt to frighten the vehicle and the entire press.” “An unacceptable fact that recalls the violent practices of the past. I repudiate the aggression and send my solidarity. May the government and justice clarify what happened and detain those responsible,” he said.
Current Security Minister Aníbal Fernández said he is confident “that the perpetrators will be identified and punished.” Other ministers in the current government also criticized the attack.
Adepa (Association of Journalistic Entities of Argentina) stated that it “strongly condemns the fact, which is a violent expression of intolerance against a group of media and constitutes a serious attack on freedom of expression.”
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