VIENNA, Austria - Austrian authorities said they arrested a man Monday after he tried to enter the U.S. Embassy in Vienna carrying a backpack with explosives.
The man tried to flee after his backpack triggered metal detectors at the embassy entrance. He was arrested nearby and was being questioned.
Officials said the backpack was found to contain two hand grenades, nails and Islamic literature.
"There were a lot of nails in that bag. Had it exploded, it would have had an enormous shrapnel effect," said Doris Edelbacher, of Austria's federal counterterrorism office. The explosives resembled hand grenades, she told reporters, and munitions experts were working to determine whether the device had been properly rigged to explode.
The suspect - described only as a 42-year-old Bosnia native who now lives in the province of Lower Austria - was taken into police custody around noon, Vienna police spokeswoman Michaela Raz said. No one was injured.
During initial questioning, the man "seemed very confused," Austrian investigators reported.
2nd terror scare The nature of the Islamic material he allegedly was carrying also was unclear.It was the second recent terrorism scare in Austria.
Last month, authorities arrested three people - all Austrian citizens of Arab origin in their 20s - in connection with a video posted online in March that had threatened Austria and Germany with attacks if they did not withdraw their military personnel from Afghanistan.
One of the suspects was released several days later for lack of evidence.
On Friday, the Interior Ministry said it found a list of politicians circulating online as potential targets for attacks. The individuals were notified, but authorities said there were no indications that any of them were ever in danger.