Georgian accused of trying to assassinate Bush

A Georgian court was to set a date today for the trial of a man accused of trying to assassinate US President George Bush last spring.

Vladimir Arutyunian faces terrorism and murder charges stemming from the May 10 incident in Tbilisi and the killing of a policeman in a shootout before his arrest in July. The charges carry a punishment of life imprisonment – the same punishment he would face in the United States.

Bush and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili were addressing a rally of thousands in Tbilisi from behind a bullet-proof barrier when the grenade, wrapped in a cloth, landed about 100 feet away. It did not explode; investigators said it apparently malfunctioned.

No one was harmed.