Car Explodes in Heart of Prague

[nodehopper]

PRAGUE: A car exploded in Prague's main shopping district last night, rocking a pedestrian zone filled with tourists, police spokeswoman Eva Brodova said.



A fire department official added in a telephone interview that 16 or 17 people are reported injured. He did not give any further details.

The blast occurred in a shopping street located just off Wenceslas Square, the heart of the historic city.


http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2989268a12,00.html


I am really freaking out, my dad and all his students are there, and all the phone lines are jammed :(

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Calm down and keep calling

also no news is good news... and as long as you do not get
any calls from oh the State Department (they do this when Ameircans get in trouble abroad) it should be fine

Also the Prague system cannot handle as many calls, so just chill and call back in ten minutes

:-)

Oh and let us know will ya

[shraby]

2. can you reach them with email?

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Yes if they can hook to the WWW

they should be able to check their email

One story, after the Mexico City Earthquake the communications tower went down. I managed to find out about my parents from a neighboor with a computer... this was 1985. This has only increased

[nodehopper]

4. he hasn't emailed us

I'm sure it's very hectic there, but still, I won't feel relieved until I hear from him in one way or another

[nodehopper]

5. good to know about State Dept.

no calls from them.

thanks!

of course, I'll update.

(my mom's been calling for several hours now, it won't connect)

[Kellanved]

6. 18 injured; hand-grenade lobbed under an American Car,

a SUV with NJ plates. Organized Crime is the police's guess.

http://www.praguepost.com/P03/2004/Art/0729/news9.php


Edit: should have listened more carefully.

[lebkuchen]

11. I have never seen a car with a state license plate in Europe

In Germany we have USA license plates, but New Jersey?? In Prague?? What's that all about? Surely there is a connection.

[Sugarbleus]

7. Unpleasant news. Yes, please keep us posted.. I'm sure it's

all well and good with your Father. I'm glad you came to us with this. DU is great in times of crisis.

Very best wishes......... :hug:

[goclark]

Hope all is well

Please keep us posted.

[goclark]

8. Hope all is well

Duplicate -sorry

[nodehopper]

9. dad's a-ok, so are his students, thanks for all your kind words!

[VolcanoJen]

10. Hooray, nodehopper!!

Thanks for the update, and the good news about your dad and his students.

[Renew Deal]

12. Good to hear.

:pals:

[cliss]

13. wow, that's really bad news.

My teenage son is in Prague right now, with 2 other american boys. They've been traveling around Europe all summer, and they have been in Prague for about a week. They said it was wonderful.

I hope they're all right, and your dad too.

[nodehopper]

14. we talked to my dad, he's fine; I hope your son and his friends are ok!

please let us know.

[burrowowl]

15. Any news from your son? eom

[cliss]

17. Yes, B.

I just got an email from him this morning. He and his 2 friends left Prague before the bombing. They are safe and sound in Berlin! Thank goodness.

Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts.

[Scurrilous]

16. Czech PM-elect mulling closure of casino after grenade attack

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/459115.html

<snip>

"Czech prime minister-elect Stanislav Gross said Sunday he will consider closing the Royal Prague Casino-Hotel after a grenade attack earlier in the day that wounded 18 passersby.
The hotel is partly owned by the Israeli Abutboul family and the attack is thought to have been an assassination attempt on Assi Abutboul, one of the owners, by rival Israeli underworld figures."

<snip>

"In an interview with Haaretz, Gross, who is interior minister responsible for the police, declined to describe Abutboul, or his father Felix, who was murdered at the same spot two years ago, as "Israeli mafia."

But, he said, "there is no doubt the two were members of what I call a 'dangerous environment.'" Gross said he was frustrated by casino staff refusing to cooperate with police "a minute after the incident." Sources said he was referring in particular to Abutboul, who was assumed to have been the intended target."

<snip>

"Israel Police suspect that the Abergil family, a well-known family of underworld kingpins, is behind the apparent assassination attempt on Abutboul.
The Abutbul family also control numerous entertainment clubs, restaurants and gambling halls in Israel, primarily in Netanya."

[TheDonkey]

18. My cousin is working on a movie there!! :-(

Hope she's all right. I will have to try to contact her family.