Group hurls bombs at Argentine Clarín newspaper’s headquarters in Buenos Aires

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A group of 9 hooded individuals hurled several bombs at the headquarters of Clarín Argentine newspaper on Monday night, November 22.

The attack was filmed by surveillance cameras, which captured the moment when the group arrived on foot, at 11:05 PM, and hurled at least 7 Molotov cocktails – a type of homemade bomb in which a flammable liquid is placed inside a glass bottle – against the building of one of the country’s main media outlets.

The bombs damaged the building’s façade and started a fire in the entrance, but no one was injured. The fire department arrived within minutes, but no intervention was required because the fires were extinguished by themselves.

The motives for the crime are not yet known. According to the newspaper, investigators were able to identify fingerprints on one of the bottles that failed to explode.

In a statement, Clarín Group, the largest media conglomerate in the country, which in addition to the newspaper also owns Olé sports paper and Trece and Todo Noticias TV channels, condemned the attack, which it described as a “violent expression of intolerance.”

The attack was repudiated by politicians and entities from all over the country. Argentina’s president Alberto Fernández condemned the attack on social media. “Violence always disrupts democratic coexistence. We hope that the facts are clarified and that the perpetrators are identified,” he wrote.

His predecessor, Mauricio Macri, stated that the attack “is a very serious attempt to frighten the media outlet and the press as a whole.” “An unacceptable event that recalls the violent practices of the past. I repudiate the attack and send my solidarity. The government and the courts must clarify what happened and arrest those responsible,” he said.

Current Security Minister Aníbal Fernández said he is confident “that the perpetrators will be identified and punished.” Other Ministers of the current government have also criticized the attack.

ADEPA (Association of Journalistic Organizations of Argentina) said it “strongly condemns the event, which is a violent expression of intolerance against a group of media outlets and represents a serious attack on freedom of expression.”