Grenade found in Tbilisi during Bush speech was live

The grenade found in Freedom Square in Tbilisi during George W. Bush's speech on May 10 was live, a source close to the investigation told RIA Novosti. "The grenade was live, but did not explode. We are now investigating the causes," he said. What is more, he said, the grenade was thrown from the direction of reviewing stands. The source said that eye witnesses are now giving evidence to the secret services, including a teenager who had the kerchief-wrapped grenade hit his head.

The information that the grenade was indeed thrown, rather than left on the ground is also confirmed by other witnesses, the agency's source added.

The source emphasized that in the event of an explosion the presidents of Georgia and the U.S., who were 50 metres away on a high podium would not have been threatened. But, he believes, several people might have been wounded or killed, causing panic and a stampede among thousands of people in the square.

Georgia's National Security Council secretary Gela Bezhuashvili said on Wednesday that the grenade discovered in Freedom Square was not live.

"It was not a live grenade, but what is known as the engineer's grenade. Specialists say that it could not be exploded in the square, although some manipulations could set it up," he said.

Bezhuashvili also gave an assurance that there had been no danger for the Georgian and U.S. presidents.

His story was that the grenade had not been flung, but was found by a Georgian secret service agent 50 meters from the podium where Mikhail Saakashvili and George W. Bush were standing.