The Bomber by Liza Marklund Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Liza Marklund
at this point that the explosive is probably civilian-made. The explosives used were not from a military source."
Kjell Lindström drank more water. The cameras were clattering.
"We are also looking for the man who was convicted of two bomb attacks against sports arenas seven years ago. This man is not under suspicion at the moment, but will be brought in for questioning."
The chief prosecutor looked down at his papers for a moment, seemingly hesitant. When he resumed, he looked straight into Rapport 's camera:
"A person wearing dark clothes was seen near the arena just before the explosion. We appeal to the public to contact us with any information that may be relevant to the bombing of Victoria Stadium. The police want to talk to anyone who was in the area between midnight and 3:20 A.M. Information that might appear irrelevant to the general public may provide the police with vital clues."
He rattled off a couple of telephone numbers that would soon appear on the Rapport news.
When the chief prosecutor was done, Evert Danielsson of the Olympic Secretariat cleared his throat.
"Well, this is a tragedy," he said nervously. "Both for Sweden as the host nation of the Olympic Games and for the world of sports as a whole. The Games symbolize competition on equal terms regardless of race, religious creed, politics, or sex. It makes it all the more lamentable that anyone would target this global symbol, the arena of the Olympic championships themselves, and commit an act of terrorism."
Annika craned her neck to see above the CNN camera. She watched the reaction to Danielsson's Olympic lament on the faces of the police officers and the prosecutor. As might have been expected, they flinched as, right in front of their eyes, the head of the Olympic Secretariat produced both a motive and a method: The explosion was an act of terrorism directed at the Games themselves. Yet they still didn't know who the victim was. Or did they? Didn't the head of the Secretariat know what had already been confirmed to Annika, that the attack had probably been staged by someone on the inside?
The prosecutor interrupted, trying to silence Danielsson, who went on regardless. "I appeal," he continued, "to everybody who thinks he or she may have seen something to contact the police. It is of the utmost importance to apprehend the perpetrator of… What?" Bewildered, he looked at the chief prosecutor, who must have pinched or kicked him out of sight of the reporters.
"I just want to point out," Kjell Lindström said while leaning toward the microphones, "that at the present time, we can in no way identify a motive." He glared sideways at Evert Danielsson. "There is nothing, I repeat, nothing, which indicates that this is an act of terrorism directed at the Olympic Games. There have been no threats delivered to either the facilities or the Secretariat. As matters stand, we remain open to various lines of enquiry and motives."
He sat back in his chair. "Any questions?"
The TV reporters were prepared and raring to go. As soon as the reporters got the floor, they would shout out their questions. A face-off it's called, from the ice-hockey term. The first few questions were about facts that were already known but which had been said too slowly or in a too complicated manner for a segment of 90 seconds. That was why TV reporters always asked the same things all over again, hoping to get a straighter and simpler answer.
"Do you have any suspects?"
"Do you have any leads?"
"Has the victim been identified?"
"Could it be an act of terrorism?"
Annika sighed. The only reason for going to this kind of press conference was to study the behavior of the investigators. Everything they said was reported in other media, but to observe the facial expressions of those who weren't on camera was often more rewarding than the usually predictable
Kjell Lindström drank more water. The cameras were clattering.
"We are also looking for the man who was convicted of two bomb attacks against sports arenas seven years ago. This man is not under suspicion at the moment, but will be brought in for questioning."
The chief prosecutor looked down at his papers for a moment, seemingly hesitant. When he resumed, he looked straight into Rapport 's camera:
"A person wearing dark clothes was seen near the arena just before the explosion. We appeal to the public to contact us with any information that may be relevant to the bombing of Victoria Stadium. The police want to talk to anyone who was in the area between midnight and 3:20 A.M. Information that might appear irrelevant to the general public may provide the police with vital clues."
He rattled off a couple of telephone numbers that would soon appear on the Rapport news.
When the chief prosecutor was done, Evert Danielsson of the Olympic Secretariat cleared his throat.
"Well, this is a tragedy," he said nervously. "Both for Sweden as the host nation of the Olympic Games and for the world of sports as a whole. The Games symbolize competition on equal terms regardless of race, religious creed, politics, or sex. It makes it all the more lamentable that anyone would target this global symbol, the arena of the Olympic championships themselves, and commit an act of terrorism."
Annika craned her neck to see above the CNN camera. She watched the reaction to Danielsson's Olympic lament on the faces of the police officers and the prosecutor. As might have been expected, they flinched as, right in front of their eyes, the head of the Olympic Secretariat produced both a motive and a method: The explosion was an act of terrorism directed at the Games themselves. Yet they still didn't know who the victim was. Or did they? Didn't the head of the Secretariat know what had already been confirmed to Annika, that the attack had probably been staged by someone on the inside?
The prosecutor interrupted, trying to silence Danielsson, who went on regardless. "I appeal," he continued, "to everybody who thinks he or she may have seen something to contact the police. It is of the utmost importance to apprehend the perpetrator of… What?" Bewildered, he looked at the chief prosecutor, who must have pinched or kicked him out of sight of the reporters.
"I just want to point out," Kjell Lindström said while leaning toward the microphones, "that at the present time, we can in no way identify a motive." He glared sideways at Evert Danielsson. "There is nothing, I repeat, nothing, which indicates that this is an act of terrorism directed at the Olympic Games. There have been no threats delivered to either the facilities or the Secretariat. As matters stand, we remain open to various lines of enquiry and motives."
He sat back in his chair. "Any questions?"
The TV reporters were prepared and raring to go. As soon as the reporters got the floor, they would shout out their questions. A face-off it's called, from the ice-hockey term. The first few questions were about facts that were already known but which had been said too slowly or in a too complicated manner for a segment of 90 seconds. That was why TV reporters always asked the same things all over again, hoping to get a straighter and simpler answer.
"Do you have any suspects?"
"Do you have any leads?"
"Has the victim been identified?"
"Could it be an act of terrorism?"
Annika sighed. The only reason for going to this kind of press conference was to study the behavior of the investigators. Everything they said was reported in other media, but to observe the facial expressions of those who weren't on camera was often more rewarding than the usually predictable
Similar Books
3 Mango Bay
Bill Myers
Seduce Me
Cheryl Holt
The Mystery of Nevermore
C.S. Poe
Roland's Castle
Becky York
Spy in Chancery
Paul C. Doherty
The Widows of Braxton County
Jess Mcconkey
The Wizard of Time (Book 1)
G.L. Breedon
Finding Alana
Meg Farrell
The Stranger
Harlan Coben