Hungarian arrested in Budapest bomb plot

A Hungarian man has been arrested on suspicion of detonating a bomb in Budapest last month which seriously injured two police officers, authorities said Thursday.

The man was detained for alleged premeditated attempted murder as well as misuse of explosive materials, said senior prosecutor Imre Keresztes.

“It was a brutal and shocking act, which could have caused much greater damage,” he told a press conference in the Hungarian capital.

The young male suspect with no prior criminal record was arrested in the town of Keszthely, 190 kilometres (118 miles) southwest of Budapest on Wednesday afternoon.

He is believed to have acted alone in the September 24 explosion, Keresztes said.

A female policewoman, 23, and her male colleague, 26, had been on foot patrol in downtown Budapest when the homemade, shrapnel-packed device detonated.

The pair have now left hospital and are recovering, Hungarian police chief Karoly Papp said Thursday.

Security camera footage from after the explosion showed an unidentified man leaving a bag at the scene shortly before the blast.

Images of the man’s face, partially hidden by a fishing hat, were released later.

The explosion was “an execution attempt” on the officers, Papp had told reporters the day after the incident.

Authorities had offered a ten million forints (32,000 euros, $37,000) award for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.

— AFP