A woman was killed and 12 people injured in a Thursday night grenade attack at a Takeo province pagoda patronized by CPP President Chea Sim, officials said Friday.
The attack was apparently politically motivated against the CPP leadership, Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said, citing provincial police reports. He said it was unclear who was behind the attack, which occurred at 10 pm in Treang district at an inauguration ceremony for Wat Po Ampil.
Chea Sim, who donated the resources to build the temple, was not present since he was in Singapore, advisers said.
One of at least two Chea Sim advisers who were present, Nhim Valy, was seriously wounded in the attack and is at the Takeo provincial hospital, according to Math Ly Ruon Kuntheabory, Chea Sim’s chief of protocol.
The dead woman was the wife of the logistics director for provincial police, officials said.
According to local police reports, an unidentified attacker threw one grenade into a crowd of people waiting for a performance of traditional theater, Khieu Sopeak said.
Chea Sim, who is also acting head of state and president of the National Assembly, returned from the three-day visit to Singapore on Friday and had not been scheduled to visit the pagoda, according to his cabinet director, Om Sarith.
