February 2004 Moscow metro bombing

Infobox terrorist attack
title=February 2004 Moscow bombing


caption=The location of the metro blast on the map of Moscow
location=Moscow, Russia
target=Moscow Metro train
date=February 6 2004
type=Suicide attack
fatalities=40
injuries=102 to 120
perps=Muslim Society No 3 led by Nikolai Kipkeyev
Anzor Izhayev (bomber)

The February 2004 Moscow metro bombing occurred on February 6 2004 when a male suicide bomber killed 40 people in Moscow. The blast occurred near Avtozavodskaya subway station on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line. Up to 120 people were injured in the incident, many of them suffering from broken bones and smoke inhalation.

The attack

The train left Avtozavodskaya station, on the metro system's green line, and was travelling north towards the city centre to Paveletskaya station when the blast occurred at about 0840 local time. There were scenes of panic and confusion as people fled the powerful explosion which was carried by a 20-year-old ethnic Karachay suicide bomber Anzor Izhayev.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin blamed Chechen separatists for the Moscow metro attacks. Chechen rebel leaders denied involvement.

A previously unknown Chechen terrorist group claimed responsibility for the bombing; the claim came from a group calling itself "Gazoton Murdash", and signed by Lom-Ali ("Ali the Lion"). [http://eng.kavkaz.memo.ru/printnews/engnews/id/637593.html Chechen group "Gazoton Murdash" claims responsibility for blast in Moscow metro ] ] According to the statement, the group launched the attack to mark the fourth anniversary of the killing of scores of Chechen civilians by Russian soldiers in Grozny.

Investigation

On February 2, 2007, Tambiy Khudiyev and Maksim Panaryin from Karachay-Cherkess Republic and Murad (Murat) Shavayev from Moscow were found guilty of terrorism and murder in connection with the explosion and have been given life sentences by the court. [ [http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?docsid=739529 Now they won't let them out for sure] , "Kommersant", February 3, 2007.] According to the sentence, Khudiyev and Panaryin were trained in camps in Chechnya and organized the suicide bombing under the orders of the ethnic Ukrainian Islamic militant Nikolai Kipkeyev. Shavayev, who worked as a Justice Ministry bailiff in Moscow, brought the explosives for them.

Panaryin was also found guilty of planting bombs on several bus stops in Krasnodar in August 2003 (four people died and 17 were injured in these attacks). After the metro bombing, he continued planting explosives, blowing up several bus stops in July 2004 in Voronezh (one person died and nine were injured). Kipkeyev was not satisfied with low casualties and started preparing a new metro explosion. He has escorted an unidentified female suicide bomber to the Rizhskaya metro station in Moscow on August 31, 2004, however the bomber panicked and detonated the explosives before entering the station, killing Kipkeyev and 10 other people. Khudiyev and Panaryin were arrested in 2005 and plead guilty to the charges they faced. [ [http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?docsid=719750 Terrorists switched from buses to metro] , "Kommersant", November 8, 2006.]

References

External links

* [http://www.gateway2russia.com/st/art_209213.php Moscow metro bombing: new details emerge]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3464545.stm#graphic Many dead in Moscow metro blast (BBC)]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/photo_gallery/3465009.stm In Pictures: Moscow blast (BBC)]