Blast at Maestro TV

An explosion, apparently caused with a hand-grenade occurred at the Tbilisi-base pro-opposition, Maestro TV, shattering windows and damaging the television station’s iron gate at about 3am on Monday.

No one was injured.

Maestro TV was airing in live its popular show Cell No. 5 when the blast occurred. Sound of explosion was heard when a temporary host of the show, who is replacing a singer Giorgi Gachechiladze as the latter is currently campaigning in the provinces, was speaking with a viewer on the phone. Then a voice of a female producer was heard screaming that the explosion occurred.

Reports say that apparently a hand-grenade was tossed at the television station’s entrance door. “We have spoken with a military expert who suggested that RGD type hand-grenade was likely used,” Natia Mikiashivili, chief of the television station’s news program, said.

The Interior Ministry said that investigation was ongoing into the case and criminal charges were initiated under the article of the criminal code dealing with “damaging or destruction of object perpetrated by setting fire, explosion or by any other dangerous means.”

Maestro TV said that the police came to the incident site only 50 minutes later and forensic detectives came on the site about 90 minutes later. Mamuka Glonti, owner of the television station also said that 20 minutes after the blast policemen, who were patrolling on a nearby street, were approached and asked to come to the incident site, but, he said, they had refused and left the area.

The Interior Ministry said that the police had requested from the television station to hand over footage from CCTV camera installed outside the station’s office, but Maestro TV said “they do not possess the recording.

Glonti explained that technical capabilities of the station did not allow them to record and store footage from CCTV camera.

Glonti also said that there could be many versions and speculations about what was the reason of, as he put it, “the terrorist act.” “But of course we can not speculate yet about these versions,” he said, but also added that intimidation could have been one of the reasons and he linked this possible intimidation to the television station’s intention to air on Monday evening footage showing in what preferential conditions convicts into the Sandro Girgvliani murder case are being held in prison.

A number of opposition politicians came to the Maestro TV after the incident was reported. Nino Burjanadze, leader of Democratic Movement-United Georgia party, blamed the authorities for intimidating Maestro TV.