Austria holds man with explosives near US embassy

Austrian police arrested a Bosnian man yesterday after he tried to enter the US embassy in Vienna carrying an explosives-filled rucksack, a spokesman said.

The man ran away from the embassy after his rucksack triggered metal detectors at the entrance. He dropped the bag in the next street and was arrested soon after.

Bomb squad specialists found two devices similar to hand grenades and other explosive material in the pack, as well as nails and a book that had some reference to Islam.

"Had it detonated, it would have had an enormous shrapnel effect," a spokesman added.

Police carried out a controlled explosion to make the rucksack safe.

The man, a 42-year-old resident of Lower Austria province near Vienna, was being questioned. "He appears to be a bit confused," the spokesman said, adding that there were no initial indications he had an Islamist background.