Bomb Explodes at U.S. Embassy; No One Injured

LISBON — A bomb placed in the car of a U.S. Embassy Marine guard exploded Tuesday in the embassy compound, sending flames and shattered metal slashing through the air but causing no injuries, diplomats in the Portuguese capital reported.

They said the Marine was returning to the embassy in a silver-gray Volkswagen and drove through the compound’s outer gate, where he stopped for a routine security check.

After checking his identification, Portuguese guards began a search of the car, and when they spotted a suspicious-looking parcel in the trunk, they shouted a warning, the diplomatic sources said.

The Marine ran for cover and the Portuguese guards cleared the area minutes before the bomb went off, according to the sources. The Portuguese guards are employed by the embassy from a local security agency to check all vehicles entering the sprawling compound.

The diplomatic sources dismissed speculation that the device could have been placed in the car while it was inside the compound.

“Obviously, it was put in the guy’s trunk before he got here,” one source said, noting the Marine had been driving around Lisbon before returning to the embassy. He said the bomb probably was put in the car while it was parked in Lisbon.

An official at the State Department in Washington said no one asserted responsibility for the bombing, but embassy officials suspected the Popular Forces of April 25 (FP-25), a left-wing Portuguese group, and not a Middle East terrorist organization.