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2018 Ethiopian rally grenade attack

2018 in EthiopiaAbiy AhmedAttempted coups in Ethiopia
Meskel Square, Addis Ababa
Meskel Square, Addis Ababa

On 23 June 2018, a large popular pro-government rally at Meskel Square for the support of political reform of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, was attacked by an assailant using a grenade. The grenade exploded just 17 metres away from the stage. Shortly afterwards, the assailant was taken away by security officials. The attack was the first attempted assassination of an Ethiopian national leader in modern Ethiopian history, after similar incidents during Haile Selassie and Derg era. The attack resulted in the deaths of two people and injured 44 other people, although Ahmed was unharmed. Local media reported that the assailant wore a police uniform, and had tried to throw the grenade toward the stage where the Prime Minister and other officials were located. In September 2018, the national prosecutors charged five suspects in the case with terrorism, connected to the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) who sought its leadership in the country after being outlawed by the EPRDF regime.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article 2018 Ethiopian rally grenade attack (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

2018 Ethiopian rally grenade attack
Menelik II Avenue,

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Latitude Longitude
N 9.0101 ° E 38.7614 °
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Menelik II Avenue
9568 , Meshuwalekiya
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Meskel Square, Addis Ababa
Meskel Square, Addis Ababa
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Africa Hall
Africa Hall

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