Tense dawn in the center: explosive attack on the facade of the Military Fund

By Brittany Solano

The silence of the Montevideo early morning was suddenly broken. As soon as Monday dawned, a loud roar in front of number 1200 Uruguay Street—between Andes and Convencion—put the residents of the area on alert. What at first could have been confused with an overturned container or some remains of weekend fireworks, turned out to be an attack with an explosive device against the façade of the premises of the Retirement and Pension Service of the Armed Forces, popularly known as the Military Fund.

At seven in the morning, the scene was unmistakable. The deployment of patrol cars and the perimeter fencing that cut off the usual flow of cars on Monday cut off traffic, forcing pedestrians to detour. There was no movement of people in the building, and the secrecy of the uniformed officers guarding the perimeter was total.

Scene of the event: the deployment after the explosion

While the first office workers got off the buses in the area, the specialized teams of the National Army were already combing the sidewalk, looking for remains of the detonation. The shock wave, although focused, left visible marks on the front of the premises. The fragility of an area of ​​offices and shops was exposed by the recklessness of an act that, fortunately, occurred when the street was practically deserted.

“I felt a sharp thump, as if something very heavy had fallen from a significant height, but the windows of the house vibrated,” said a neighbor who lives around the corner, while trying to understand why she couldn't get to the kiosk where she buys the newspaper. The lack of injuries—officially confirmed by military sources—seems to be the only positive outcome of an episode that, in another hour, could have had tragic consequences for any bystander.

The investigation in progress: no arrests

As of noon this Monday, there are no arrests. The scientific police and military force technicians are working around the clock to identify the components of the explosive and, above all, to analyze the security cameras in the area, which is a hotbed of electronic eyes. The objective is to determine who or who came to the door of the Military Box to plant the artifact and how they escaped in the middle of the darkness.

The attack against this building, which manages the social security of military retirees, is not an event that goes unnoticed. In the political and social sphere, these types of acts of direct violence against a State institution usually raise alarm bells. While the remains of the material that hit the wall are being cleaned, the question in the political circles points to the intention: was it a political message or a larger-scale vandalism action?

A center on alert

The Uruguay Street area has witnessed demonstrations and social movements of all kinds, but an explosive attack is a different escalation. Area merchants looked suspiciously at the police tapes, fearful that the investigation would prolong the traffic shutdown throughout the day.

For now, caution prevails. The Ministry of the Interior and those responsible for the forces have not given details about the possible lines of investigation, but the “combing” operation of the area is exhaustive. Montevideo woke up with news that breaks the monotony of the beginning of the week and that will surely force a reinforcement of security in public buildings that until recently were considered low-risk points.