A civil engineer has told the Argentine Supreme Court that the blast that destroyed the AMIA building in July 1994 was not the result of a car bomb, but a bomb that was planted inside the building.
However, Judge Juan Galeano, the official in charge of the investigation of the bombing that killed 86 and wounded more than 300 at the Argentine Jewish Mutual Aid Association, dismissed the findings as “amateurish.”
Roberto Reboursin, a concrete expert, recently told the Argentine Supreme Court that he believed that explosives were placed “at the foot of the building columns” and the result was “an implosion.”
More than a year ago, Reboursin sent copies of his 16-page report on the blast to Galeano and to Ruben Beraja, head of DAIA, the Delegation of Argentine Jewish Associations.
Reboursin said he gave a copy to the Supreme Court “in exasperation with the lack of will be investigate my theory.”
Galeano said Reboursin “was no expert in explosions or demolitions.” He added that the civil engineer “got his basic data from watching TV footage of the explosion site.”
Reboursin is not alone in his claim that the powerful explosion was not the result of a car bomb.
Earlier this month, a private investigation group headed by Carlos de Napoli told the Supreme Court that it thought that the bomb was placed in the building’s basement.
And in late 1994, journalists Joe Goldman and Jorge Lanata claimed in their book “Smoke Screens” that “car parts were planted to mislead investigators.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
