Italians held over alleged plot to kill Afghan governor

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

Three Italian medical workers are among nine people who were detained over an alleged plot to kill an Afghan provincial governor, officials said.

The nine were held after suicide bomb vests, hand grenades, pistols and explosives were discovered in a hospital storeroom in Lashkar Gah, capital of the southern province of Helmand, a spokesman for the provincial government said. Police had been tipped off about a plot to kill Helmand's governor during a future visit to the hospital, the spokesman said.

A video of the raid shows British troops accompanying Afghan police, soldiers and government officials to the hospital, which is run by the Italian private group Emergency. In a storeroom, boxes are opened containing what appear to be bullets, pistols, hand grenades, and bags of explosives.

A British soldier is heard saying that an explosives disposal unit was on its way. Three foreign staff members are shown sitting on outdoor benches, their identification cards visible but their names unclear.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/11/afghanistan-italian-medical-workers-held

---

AP Video of the raid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_FK7i3AatE