05:15'I was targeted' - Russian cultural centre chief in Central African Republic details apparent assassination attempt
The head of the Russian House cultural centre in the Central African Republic (CAR), Dmitry Syty, shared details of the alleged assassination attempt on him last December, in an interview with RT on Tuesday.
According to Syty, he received a parcel containing a flash drive, which was brought to his office on December 16 by one of his employees.
"I noticed that it was heavier than it should be," he explained. "I turned like this and saw a flash of light. Then I looked at my hand where the USB flash drive used to be and saw a bunch of bones and meat," he continued.
Syty lost several fingers and a lot of blood in the blast, and he was quickly transferred back to Russia.
He believes he was 'specifically targeted', rather than the centre itself, because his job was to organise peace talks with leaders of armed groups.
Syty also claimed that during his work he met a man who provided him with information about the armed groups, and had most recently promised new information on US intelligence.
"He suddenly insisted to give me information that links this CIA activity in Obo with the number of terrorist attacks including the plane crash in Egypt, Russian plane crash in Egypt with passengers on Sinai. But I have never got it actually. And then this attack happened," he stated.
The CIA has not commented on the allegations.
Syty said that the investigation had revealed that the explosive was made in the lab. "It is not just something that you can make up in the garage," the head of Russian House noted.
He said he was ready to continue his work because he believed African countries needed the support of other states as the West ‘supports the dependent position of African countries’.
CAR Prime Minister Felix Molua stated that it was too early to draw conclusions as no concrete data was yet available. He added that the authorities condemned the incident and hoped that the perpetrators would be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Following the incident, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that it "strongly condemns the terrorist attack against the Russian House and its head and considers the incident an act of aggression against the Russian-Central African friendship".
Russian House opened in the capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui, on February 1, 2022. The aim of the organisation is to teach the Russian language to the local population.
05:15No access EU media/EU territory
The head of the Russian House cultural centre in the Central African Republic (CAR), Dmitry Syty, shared details of the alleged assassination attempt on him last December, in an interview with RT on Tuesday.
According to Syty, he received a parcel containing a flash drive, which was brought to his office on December 16 by one of his employees.
"I noticed that it was heavier than it should be," he explained. "I turned like this and saw a flash of light. Then I looked at my hand where the USB flash drive used to be and saw a bunch of bones and meat," he continued.
Syty lost several fingers and a lot of blood in the blast, and he was quickly transferred back to Russia.
He believes he was 'specifically targeted', rather than the centre itself, because his job was to organise peace talks with leaders of armed groups.
Syty also claimed that during his work he met a man who provided him with information about the armed groups, and had most recently promised new information on US intelligence.
"He suddenly insisted to give me information that links this CIA activity in Obo with the number of terrorist attacks including the plane crash in Egypt, Russian plane crash in Egypt with passengers on Sinai. But I have never got it actually. And then this attack happened," he stated.
The CIA has not commented on the allegations.
Syty said that the investigation had revealed that the explosive was made in the lab. "It is not just something that you can make up in the garage," the head of Russian House noted.
He said he was ready to continue his work because he believed African countries needed the support of other states as the West ‘supports the dependent position of African countries’.
CAR Prime Minister Felix Molua stated that it was too early to draw conclusions as no concrete data was yet available. He added that the authorities condemned the incident and hoped that the perpetrators would be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Following the incident, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that it "strongly condemns the terrorist attack against the Russian House and its head and considers the incident an act of aggression against the Russian-Central African friendship".
Russian House opened in the capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui, on February 1, 2022. The aim of the organisation is to teach the Russian language to the local population.