Versión Español
EspañolOn Monday, around 10 people wearing hoods and overalls attacked a police station in the Chilean capital, Santiago. Assailants threw five incendiary devices which left three policemen injured and three vehicles in flames.
“There was a moment when Molotov cocktails were flying over our heads,” Deputy Commissioner Raúl Ulloa told reporters.
The attackers had locked the doors of the police station — headquarters of the Homicide Brigade — with chains and padlocks to prevent pursuit. They fled to a nearby university campus across the street, pursued by police once they had escaped from the building.
Students at the University of Christian Humanism (UACH) said police, who shot at the escaping assailants, “aimed with no clear target.” Javiera Pina said that bullets flew past her and fellow students as they stood on campus premises. A UACH press release labelled the police response “disproportionate” and claimed it put “the well-being of professors, employees, and students” at risk.
“This is the most serious attack to date, because here we have elements of premeditation,” said Sergio Claramunt, chief of the Homicide Division.
Interior Ministry Subsecretary Mahmud Aley told press that “respect for the rule of law is not optional in Chile.” He announced the government will bring charges against the assailants under the State Security Law.
The Homicide Division was previously attacked in 2009 when 40 protesters vandalized the building and injured one officer.
In September, Chile suffered its worst terrorist attack since 1990, when a bomb exploded at a subway station in Santiago, injuring 14 people.
Source: El Mercurio.
