ARGENTINA: Three Citibank branches in Buenos Aires were bombed yesterday, killing one person - a security guard - and injuring a policeman, writes Seamus Mirodan in Buenos Aires
At 9 a.m. a home-made bomb in a plastic carrier bag detonated next to the cash machine of a Citibank branch in Caballito, a residential zone of Buenos Aires, fatally injuring the security guard and causing chaos and panic amongst morning commuters who were showered with shattered glass.
Police deactivated a second bomb at the site, but hours later another device exploded inside a branch on one of Buenos Aires most fashionable avenues, Santa Fe. No one was injured in this attack, but a third device placed three blocks away at the entrance to yet another Citibank outlet detonated soon afterwards, injuring one Federal Police agent.
It was not clear who was responsible for the bombs, none of which was big enough to cause major damage to buildings. Several foreign-owned banks and even a march by unemployed protesters have been hit by small bombs in the last three years. No group admitted responsibility for any of them.
The last time Buenos Aires's banks were targeted was during the August visit of International Monetary Fund chief Mr Rodrigo Rato. No one was injured in those.
In the wake of Argentina's economic collapse in 2002, many Argentines blamed foreign banks for their country's woes, including a freeze on their savings as they watched Citibank and others withdraw all their reserves from the country in armoured trucks. The banks have been the target of numerous street demonstrations.