Terrorists attack Moscow airport.

From preliminary reports it looks like a deadly blast at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport was caused by a suicide bomber.  The explosion ripped through the international arrivals hall, killing at least 35 people and injuring around 130.

Domededovo is Russia’s busiest airport and a major hub for flights to and from the rest of Europe.  I have experience of the long queues which congregate at the immigration desks, and there must’ve been thousands of passengers in the terminal when the bomb detonated.  Some eye witness accounts of the aftermath are beginning to emerge and they are horrific.

This is another attack clearly calculated to maximise loss of life and injury.  Last March, 39 people were killed during a series of coordinated suicide attacks on the Moscow metro, attributed to the Chechen ’Black Widows’ group.

Female suicide bombers also blew up two aircraft, which had taken off from Domodedovo, back in 2004.  Whoever is responsible for the latest atrocity, Moscow remains a prime target for murderous attacks by Caucasian terrorists.

A brief post-script.  RT 's twitter feed suggests that the Russian security services "had been informed" about a possible terror attack on Domodedovo.

Quite a revelation, given the subsequent explosion.  If it is true there will be serious questions about how seriously the threat was taken and what preventative measures were put in place to counteract it.

Further details are beginning to emerge.  It seems that the probable attacker was a male of Caucasian appearance (in the Russian sense).  The latest reports suggest that the bomb exploded in the free area of the arrivals zone, rather than beside the baggage carousel or immigration.  I.e. where people come to meet passengers off flights and outside the remit of metal detectors etc.  

The BBC has released footage of the aftermath of the attack.  If you want to view the original tape it is here, but the video, as it unfolds, is more upsetting than the version used on the bulletin.

Further update:  The news agency Ria Novosti suggests that at least two men were involved.  They are both dead and there is a suspicion that they intended to leave the bomb, rather than conduct a suicide attack. An accomplice may have driven the pair to the airport.

Comments

Garry said…
This is just horrible. First Tuscon, now this!! What's next?! I feel like I am living in a horror movie...
CW said…
There was a professor of Russian studies on the radio this morning (Stephen Hutchings from Manchester Uni - who i'm sure you've probably heard of, Chekov)who suggested that eventhe hardline Russian nationalists are beginning to advocate independence for Dagestan, Ingushetia, Chechnya, etc and that way they could at leat control numbers coming into Russia. Moscow is a world apart from the Caucusus anyway and if the likes of Ukraine, Belarus, etc can pull away maybe it's time for the next wave of independence.
Chris Taus said…
The Russian government are obviously no saints, killing pesky journalists or jailing oligarchs for wanting to enter politics shows this. The government is not however suicidal, they know that if they ever were shown to be behind bombs at airports or train stations, they would be toppled Tunisia style in seconds.
Owen Polley said…
Is it really an an appropriate time to consider capitulation to terrorists CW? What type of independence would even be under discussion? Give Ramzan Kadyrov a free hand in an independent Chechnya? Permit the formation of an 'Islamic Caliphate' across the north Caucasus? The Russian government certainly erred by refusing to deal with secular nationalists, but the situation is now much worse and wholesale withdrawal risks far greater destabilisation.

Popular posts from this blog

Football fever in Russia

Shia Revival

Walker loada rubbish