President Bush and President Saakashvili on the 10th of May 2005.
On the 10th of May 2005, Vladimir Arutyunian, a Georgian national, waited for the United States President George W. Bush and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to appear for a press conference as part of the President Bush's Georgian tour. In his pocket, was a Soviet-made RGD-5 hand grenade, wrapped in a red plaid handkerchief, and his intention was to assassinate President Bush. When President Bush began to speak, he removed the grenade from his pocket, and threw it toward the President. In OTL, he was seated too far away to reasonably expect the grenade to reach the President, and as of such it landed eighteen metres away, in the lap of a women, whose dress caused the hankerchief to remain wrapped around it. This prevented the striker lever from releasing, and detonation being prevented. The grenade was quickly removed, and Arutyunian disappeared into the crowd. a nationwide manhunt over the following days however caused him to be quickly located, and arrested. However, it could have been very different.
What if he was able to be seated closer to the podium? What if the handkerchief unravelled? What if it reached over the bulletproof glass? What if, in this ATL, Trailblazer Is Down?
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