Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvian authorities say someone exploded a grenade at a circus performance and the blast wounded 11 people, including clowns and members of the public.
Local police chief Salvador Iglesias of the San Juan de Lurigancho district of Lima says police are investigating whether extortionists were behind Tuesday night's attack.
Firefighters say most of the injured had shrapnel wounds in their legs, while four suffered hearing problems and a circus worker was hospitalized with a stomach wound.
Police say they are trying to determine whether the grenade was thrown or planted previously.
Extortion has been on the rise in Peru in recent years, with construction projects, private schools and taxi drivers among frequent targets. Peru's chief prosecutor reported 1,667 complaints of extortion in the first four months of this year.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
