“This morning a hand grenade exploded next to a vehicle carrying reporters accompanying the president in Hamedan,” Iranian website Khabaronline reported.
“Ahmadinejad’s car was 100 meters away and he was not hurt.”
A source in Ahmadinejad’s office confirmed that the Iranianpresident’s motorcade had come under an attack.He said a home-made explosive device had exploded, but that the president, who was travelling from an airport in the western city of Hamadan to give a speech in a sports arena, was fine.
Al Arabiya television said an attacker had thrown a bomb at Ahmadinejad’s convoy before being detained.
Earlier this week Iranian news outlets quoted Ahmadinejad as saying that Israel was trying to assassinate him. In a speech delivered on Monday, the Iranian president said, “the Zionists have sent people to assassinate me. Look how hopeless they are.”
Last year Iran’s intelligence minister also claimed Israel was trying to kill Ahmadinejad. According to him, “Zionist” elements had met in Egypt and Paris with members of the Iranian opposition group“Mujahideen Khalq” in order to plan an assassination.
In November the Iranian Intelligence Ministry said it succeeded inthwarting a “plot to kill a senior regime official.” It was apparently referring to Ahmadinejad.
In 2008 Ahmadinejad’s aide said another plot to assassinate the president during his visit to Italy was foiled.
But Iranian state TV has denied reports that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faced an assassination attempt.
A conservative website reported that a handmade grenade exploded near the president’s convoy Wednesday as he was on his way to address a crowd in western Iran, but the leader was not harmed. The president gave his speech as planned and it was broadcast live on state TV.
Iran’s state-run Press TV, the government’s main English-language broadcast arm, says Ahmadinejad’s office has denied the allegation,insisting “no such attack had happened.”
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