Bush in Albania 2007 - Did a Cheering Crowd Steal His Watch?

suchandra · June 12, 2007

Bush's watch being stolen?:crying2:

Bush in Albania 2007 - Did a Cheering Crowd Steal His Watch?

News Brief – June 12, 2007

One moment President Bush was glad-handing Albanians on Sunday, proudly sporting a watch with a dark strap on his left wrist. Moments later however, it was gone.

Did it fall off? Did one of his bodyguards remove it, as has been claimed? Or did a thief in the crowd deftly slip it off the president’s wrist?

The United States Embassy in Albania emphatically denied that Bush's watch was stolen while he greeted crowds on Sunday.

However, the Internet is buzzing with a

while he was shaking hands with people in Fushe Kruje.

"What the local media is saying is absolutely not true," an embassy official, who declined to be named, told the Associated Press.

Crowds thronged the sidewalks on Sunday to give the U.S president a rapturous welcome, shaking his hands, grabbing his arms and wrists and even ruffling his hair.

Did a skilful thief take the opportunity to deftly relieve Bush of his wrist watch?

Bush was clearly delighted by the attention and plunged back into the crowd for more hand shaking.

Nonetheless, an Albanian bodyguard who accompanied Bush in the town told The Associated Press he had seen one of his U.S. colleagues close to Bush bend down and pick up the watch.

Did he? Or was that simply a story concocted to cover a potentially embarrassing incident. Take a

and judge for yourself. At the start of the video clip around 00:37 his watch is clearly visible but by 01:20 its gone.