Fifty Injured At Belarus Concert

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko says he doesn’t believe he was the target for a bomb that injured 50 people at a pop concert he was attending in Minsk.

Although the national media is reporting that the attack was carried out by "hooligans," Russian security forces are helping the Belarusian authorities track down those responsible.

The state-controlled papers are saying the explosion, which came at a July 4 concert celebrating the country’s independence, is unlikely to lead to Lukashenko bringing in more laws to curb dissidents.

They also stressed that he doesn’t believe the attack was carried out by terrorists who want to see the country cut its ties with Moscow.

The pro-Russian president has been in power since 1994, often attracting criticism from western governments for suppressing political opposition.

Although the country declared independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union was on the brink of collapse, Belarus has never sought stronger ties with Western Europe.

Lukashenko has restored economic integration with Moscow and strengthened relationships with the former mother state.

The U.S. has threatened sanctions unless he starts releasing some of the hundreds of people he’s locked up for voicing opposition to him.