Prosecutors open probe after Klaipėda district shooting range explosion

LRT reports that the Klaipėda Regional Prosecutor’s Office has opened a pre-trial investigation into an explosion at a shooting range in Klaipėda district on Wednesday.

A 53-year-old man is being treated for serious injuries at a Klaipėda hospital. He told investigators that he was injured when an unidentified object exploded.

The Skydas plan was activated at the shooting range, and four visitors were detained as suspects. Decisions on possible preventive measures will be made after they are questioned.

“I cannot yet confirm what type of explosive it was, whether it was a homemade device or a factory-made explosive. We only know that an explosion occurred, that it involved an explosive substance and that a person was injured as a result,” Klaipėda Regional Prosecutor Ruslanas Ušinskas said.

He added that the incident was not a terrorist act and was not connected to any hostile foreign states. Some of the four suspects are known to police and have previously had dealings with law enforcement, he said.

The investigation concerns serious bodily harm and the illegal possession of explosives. Officers are seeking to establish who brought the explosive to the shooting range and for what purpose.

The shooting range in Stirbiai, Klaipėda district, opened a month ago.