PANIC IN SKOPJE: Security discovered explosive in a car in front of USA embassy (PHOTO)

Car "Zastava Pikap", parked and left in front of the main entrance of a building of USA embassy in Skopje, alarmed yesterday around 18 PM the security of the American diplomatic and consular office and Macedonian police. The security of the embassy checked the suspicious vehicle with detectors, and when the results showed that "pikap" is positive on explosive, the Macedonian police was alarmed.

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The police immediately sent the anti terrorist units, which checked the vehicle again with their equipment but the found no traces of explosive. However, the vehicle "Zastava Pikap" was taken and towed to police for additional search. 

Additional police protection was set around the USA embassy last night, and large police forces did not allow movement in the street near the object while the anti terrorism unit checked the suspicious vehicle

So far no one has said whose the "pikap" is and weather did the cameras in front of the embassy capture the driver that dropped of the vehicle.

In the mean time, American embassy announced on their twitter account, and then on their web site that their Macedonian lines are down and they can communicate with them over the american line in operative center of State department on the number +1 202 647 1512. Other information were not released on the site. 

Foto: D. Joksič

Similar incident happened three months ago. Embassy personnel and employees in the embassy were scared to death when they saw the police armed to their teeth in front of the American embassy. The alarm sounded in the embassy and the proclamation kept repeating: "This is not a drill", after which the instructions were given to the people to stay away from windows and to go to shelter.

Drama in the embassy lasted for "eternity", the entire 20 minutes, which later showed to be unannounced practice of the Macedonian police unit "Alfa" working undercover, whose members simulated the reaction in the case of terrorist attack on the USA embassy. 

No one in embassy knew about the drill, and hence the panic with the personnel and employees in this diplomatic center. 

(Telegraf.co.uk / D.J.)