Bomb Hits S. Africa Embassy in Lisbon

A bomb exploded outside the South African Embassy in the Portuguese capital early Saturday in what a little-known group that claimed responsibility for the blast called “an act of solidarity” with the South African people.

Police said the blast shattered the embassy’s windows and door and damaging two parked cars. There were no reports of casualties.

An anonymous caller said the leftist Revolutionary Autonomous Group was responsible for the bombing, which coincided with an official visit to Lisbon by South Africa’s Deputy Foreign Minister Louis Nel.

The group left a statement with a Portuguese news agency that attacked South Africa’s state of emergency as “a terrorist measure to repress blacks and workers that has caused hundreds of deaths or detentions.”

The same group claimed responsibility for an April 10 bomb explosion outside a Portuguese government building in downtown Lisbon.

‘Medium-Type’ Explosive

Police said the blast at the embassy was caused by a “medium-type” explosive device.

No injuries were reported, but a police spokesman said “the blast panicked people in the neighborhood and destroyed the building’s door and most of its windows.”

The explosion also damaged two parked cars and scattered glass shards over a 100-yard radius, he said.

Contacted by reporters, an employee at the embassy said he could not release any information about the blast. No information was available on whether anyone was inside the building at the time of the blast.

On Friday, Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Gama met with Nel and condemned Pretoria’s declaration of a state of emergency.