The Marriott Hotel Santiago, Chile

The U.S. embassy in Chile would like to inform  U.S. citizens traveling and residing in Chile to the latest information regarding an explosive device that detonated at the Marriott Hotel in Santiago, Chile, on Tuesday, November 3, 2009, and to remind U.S. citizens of basic safety procedures you can implement in your daily life.

The U.S. Embassy has no specific or credible threat against U.S. Citizens or U.S. interests, and the U.S. embassy has not advised personnel to avoid any location in Chile.

The event at the Marriott hotel:

On November 3, 2009, at about 2:00 p.m., an explosive device detonated outside the lobby of the Marriott Santiago Hotel.  The explosive device was originally placed in a lobby men’s bathroom, but was noticed by a hotel driver who assumed it was a lost item and delivered to hotel security.  At the same time, the hotel received a telephonic bomb threat.  Hotel security moved the bag out of the lobby and placed it outside the building, but near a local BCI Bank (Banco de Credito e Inversiones), which shares the main lobby.  Shortly after the device was moved it detonated.  The device did superficial damage (broken glass) to the bank branch and injured several people.

Basic safety measures:

- Do not touch or move any item you deem suspicious – report it to appropriate authorities;

- Check the interior/exterior of your vehicle prior to getting into it;

- Notify the local police with ANY information related to a bomb or bomb threat;

- Maintain a low personal profile by not doing anything that draws attention to yourself;

- Identify and report to the local police any vehicles or persons possibly involved in surveillance of your activities;

- Be alert to what is going on around you.
If you receive a bomb threat at your place of business:

If you receive a bomb threat to your direct line, collect as much information as possible. Try to remain calm and listen for details: accents, background noises, and of course, what is said.  Stay on the phone as long as you can.  Ask the caller where the bomb is, when it will explode, why it was placed.  Try to get the caller to talk as much as possible, and write down as much information as you can.  Once the caller hangs up, call the Carabineros at the emergency number 133.

U.S. citizens may also call the Office of Overseas Citizens Services in the United States for the latest travel information.  The Office of Overseas Citizens Services can be reached from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Monday through Friday, by calling 1-888-407-4747 from within the U.S. and Canada, or by calling (202) 501-4444 from other countries.

Americans living or traveling in Chile are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security within Chile.  Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.  By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.  The U.S. Embassy is located at Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile, phone number 56-2-330 30 00, fax 56-2-330 30 05, U.S. Citizen Services Unit email: SantiagoAmcit@state.gov.

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