Suicide bombing probe after Krejcir office blast
AN INDEPENDENT forensic investigator has questioned the possibility of a suicide bombing at Radovan Krejcir’s Money Point business premises yesterday.
Police spokesman Brigadier Neville Malila said a man walked into Money Point in Bedfordview and announced that he had a bomb in a bag he was carrying.
There was an explosion and two people died on the scene and three others were taken to hospital with critical injuries. Another two sustained minor injuries.
While police would not confirm the names of the deceased, three independent sources said the two men who were killed were Czech Jan Charvát and Jason “Ronnie” Domingo.
“I’m finding this bizarre, because a suicide bomber normally has a passion for a cause or is a fundamentalist,” said Chad Thomas from IRS Forensic Investigations.
“This is the first time in my life that I’ve heard of a suicide bomber being used in organised crime,” he said, adding this was unlikely.
Malila could not confirm at the time of publication whether the explosion was being investigated as a suicide bombing.
“We don’t know, that was based on the initial information gathered by investigators,” Malila said.
Forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan said he did not want to speculate on the bombing as it was “still early days” and said it was possible that the remotely detonated.
“By the time the sun sets today there will be more information,” O’Sullivan said.
Krejcir, a controversial businessman linked to several hits, has spent the past six years fighting the Czech Republic’s attempts to extradite him.
His homeland wants him returned to face a series of charges which he claims were trumped up because of his involvement in a political scandal.
O’Sullivan said he had reliably learnt that the lease at Money Point was to expire at the end of the month and the building’s owners had indicated they would not be renewing the lease.
The blast took place at 5.20pm, but forensic investigators and the bomb unit only came out of the building at 8pm, after searching for a second device.
Malila said they were still in the early stages of their investigation and had not made any arrests.
He said police were not yet aware of the identities of those hurt, where Krejcir was, or if anything had been taken.
Police will be interviewing those in hospital for more information.
Residents in the area told The Star that events linked to Krejcir had made them fearful of living in Bedfordview.
“I’ve lived in this area all my life. My children come to the mall at night. Now I’m very worried,” one woman said.
O’Sullivan, who was at the scene of the bombing, said Krejcir was linked to 10 murders in one way or another, adding that “tonight’s casualties add to 12”. He said it was premature to assume the bombing was intended to kill Krejcir.
“We should wait until the investigation is completed to see if this was an attempt on his life,” said O’Sullivan. “Are people going to go to the trouble of setting a bomb and not kill him?”
He said he had been investigating Krejcir for five years and his hope was that the man would be extradited.
Thomas said Krejcir needed to be taken into protective custody if last night’s explosion was not staged, “until such time as his refugee status is either confirmed or he gets deported to the Czech Republic”. He said this would also ensure the public’s safety.
The explosion comes just over a week after Veselin Laganin was shot dead in his Bedfordview home during a robbery.
That murder took place less than a month after another businessman linked to Krejcir, Bassam Issa, was gunned down near Laganin’s home.