There is “no doubt” in the mind of Hungary’s national police chief, Károly Papp, that police officers were the explicit targets of the explosion that occurred Saturday night just after 10:30 PM and which severely injured two officers on patrol near the corner of Teréz Körút and Király utca. Police Chief Papp held a news conference in Budapest early Sunday evening and this was the first time that representatives of the Hungarian media received a formal update and an official statement on the incident that had occurred twenty hours prior. The journalists present were allowed a total of six questions, including ones from the centre-left Népszabadság daily, the conservative HírTV news channel, the liberal hvg.hu news site and the pro-government Origo website.
Chief Papp noted that the attacker, who remains at large, is a man in his early to mid twenties and is approximately 17o centimetres tall. He wore a light-coloured fisherman’s hat, a dark jacket, blue jeans and running shoes. The police chief added that the perpetrator’s goal was to “execute” police officers. A 23 year old female officer sustained life-threatening injuries and remains in intensive care. A 26 year old male police officer was also severely injured, though he is in stable condition. When a journalist asked Chief Papp if he could confirm that the incident was not related to terrorism, the police chief indicated that at this stage in the investigation all possibilities were still on the table.
The perpetrator detonated a home-made bomb, which was filled with nails. The police are now sifting through footage from 145 CCTV cameras.
Hungary’s national police chief, Károly Papp, speaks to reporters at a news conference Sunday evening, following the Saturday night explosion in Budapest. Photo: Screen shot from M1 live broadcast.
Several hundred police officers in Budapest are involved in a manhunt for the attacker. The police is offering 10 million forints to anyone with information that would lead to an arrest.
Chief Papp remarked that police have been engaging in foot patrol along the area of Teréz Körút where the explosion took place for the past 18 months. The route and timing of these foot patrols was established and the officers were not in the area merely by accident or out of coincidence.
When asked if the perpetrator was likely still in Hungary or whether he may have left the country, the police chief declined to answer.
The police chief was joined by Chief Prosecutor Imre Keresztes during the press conference. The prosecutor confirmed that his office has launched an investigation into attempted murder against on-duty police officers.
