Support The Moscow Times!

Budapest Bombings Linked to Gang War

BUDAPEST -- A hand-grenade explosion damaged the outside of a Budapest nightclub early Wednesday morning in the latest of a series of bombings that police said were part of a "turf war" between rival criminal gangs.


The explosion outside the Crazy Horse nightclub in a red-light district of the Hungarian capital caused minor damage to the building and to several parked cars, but no one was injured, police said.


The new blast was the 26th this year and the third hand-grenade explosion in five days in different parts of the central European country.


Police blamed rival criminal groups battling for territory.


"Crime syndicates fighting for territory are behind these hand-grenade bombings," police spokesman Laszlo Garamvolgyi said.


"These are demonstrations of force by different criminal groups, both foreign and domestic," he said. "Police have been working hard on these cases, and we expect results in the next few days."


Grenades on Monday shattered the windows of a pizza parlor and a car showroom, and a bombing Saturday wrecked a car belonging to a gaming machines operator.


Lieutenant-Colonel Elek Katai of the National Police homicide squad said only three of the bombings had so far been cleared up, though he said more cases might be solved soon.


Some of the previous bombings included two aimed apparently at Jewish targets, including a small bomb planted in a dustbin near Budapest's Dohany Utca synagogue, which is Europe's largest.


Earlier this month, police detained a 17-year-old man who confessed to planting a bomb under a seat in a bus in northern Hungary, which injured four people.


A Slovak man committed suicide with a hand grenade in Budapest this month.


"This neighborhood has turned really bad in the last two years," said Krisztina Petranyi, a young mother who lives with her son in a building across the street from the Crazy Horse nightclub.


"Fights on the street happen almost every night ... and we try to avoid going out as much as we can," she said.


Government security officials were not immediately available for comment.


Diplomats said it was too soon to tell if the blasts could have an impact on Hungary's vital tourism industry.


"So far, these have been clearly targeted at property, and they go out of their way to make sure people are not hurt," a diplomat said.


"It is too soon to know if it is going to have repercussions outside [Hungary]."

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more