BOMB THREAT AT OAS DELEGATES' HOTEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASUNCION 000258 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHS/BSC KBEAMER, DS/IP/WHA, DS/DSS/ITA, WHA/USOAS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/19/2028 TAGS: PTER ASEC OAS PA SUBJECT: BOMB THREAT AT OAS DELEGATES' HOTEL Classified By: DCM Michael J. Fitzpatrick; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) At 0815 on April 18, the hotel "La Mission," where the delegates of the Organization of American States (OAS) electoral mission for Paraguay's elections April 20 are staying, received a bomb threat. The hotel's administrative secretary received a call from an unidentified male who SIPDIS indicated that there was a bomb in the hotel and it was going to explode shortly. Paraguay's Specialized Tactical Police Unit (FOPE) dispatched an explosive ordinance detection team, including a bomb technician and explosive detection canine, to search the hotel. The FOPE team did not find anything suspicious, and the hotel has resumed normal operations. No one claimed responsibility for the threat. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: With only two days before the April 20 election, the bomb threat is a desperate (and unsuccessful) attempt to intimidate the OAS electoral mission. END COMMENT. Please visit us at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/asuncion CASON