A gunman opened fire Monday on a car carrying Turkmenistan President Saparmurad Niyazov, injuring one of his bodyguards. The attack took place in the morning in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat. The attacker fired from a truck on the president's with a machine gun. The president was not injured.
Damn.
One of Niyazov's bodyguards was seriously wounded and taken to a hospital. Niyazov later called an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss the apparent assassination attempt. At that meeting, the president said two ex-government ministers — a former foreign minister and a former agriculture minister — had organized the attack. Both men are now part of the opposition, ITAR-Tass said.
Shooting his car up is a pretty good indication they oppose him...
Niyazov, who is known as Turkmenbashi — "Father of All Turkmen" — rules his impoverished but energy-rich Central Asian nation with an iron hand and is widely regarded as a nut has created an elaborate cult of personality, naming cities, mosques, and airports after himself. |