WORLD : Soviet Gunman Called Terrorist
A gunman who fired two shots near Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev during the Revolution Day parade will be charged with trying to carry out a terrorist act, Tass news agency said today. But it did not say whether the gunman had intended to assassinate Gorbachev.
“After studying the preliminary material we have initiated a criminal case on the charge of attempting to carry out an act of terrorism,” Tass quoted KGB serious crimes investigator Pyotr Sokolov as saying.
The gunman is 38-year-old Alexander Shmonov, an unemployed Leningrad factory worker, Tass said.
Shmonov pulled out a sawed-off hunting rifle during the civilian parade Wednesday on Red Square and fired two shots before being seized by KGB plainclothes policemen and bundled off. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
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