Terror in Russia

West of the country, between Rostov-on-Don and Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad), and, what is especially important, only 500 km from the Caucasus and its Islamic rebels, accused by Moscow of organizing these explosions.

Yesterday morning, shortly before 6 a.m., a truck placed in front of an 8-story residential building destroyed part of the facade and damaged neighboring buildings, including the local police station. 17 people (author's discrepancies - 14 or 17) were killed and 25 seriously injured during the explosion.

Explosive Charge Details

• A charge equivalent to 300 kg of TNT
• According to the Russian police, the power of the explosive charge was equivalent to 300 to 350 kg of TNT.
• A group of experts from the FSB, the secret service, immediately arrived at the scene.

National Response to Terrorism

A few hours after the fifth explosion, President Boris Yeltsin stated that Russia has "the forces and means necessary to put an end to terrorism." Pious hopes: for the third time in a week, a building that is no different from thousands of others was hit by a bomb. Since August 31, the wave of terror has claimed 291 lives in Russia.

Never since the 1980 Olympic Games has the country known such a mobilization in the security sphere.

• In Moscow alone, 24,000 police officers are on duty.
• All trucks entering the capital are being checked.
• More than 26,000 apartments have already been searched.
• It was possible to search thirty thousand houses with a magnifying glass in this metropolis of 9 million inhabitants, stretching over more than 1,000 sq. km.
• The FSB stated yesterday that it had prevented six explosions by defusing time bombs throughout Moscow.

International Implications

According to the Moscow press, the FSB will be able to launch an "operation of international scale" to "liquidate" the alleged instigators of the terrorist attack:

• The leader of the rebels in Dagestan, Shamil Basayev.
• "Major" Khattab.
• Even the Saudi-born fundamentalist billionaire Osama bin Laden, enemy number 1 of the United States.

But can vast Russia really stop terrorism?

Photo: "special forces in berets are driving a large column [of people] with their hands behind their backs down the street; caption: Moscow police systematically check all residents who represent a physical 'Caucasian'. Hundreds of individuals were arrested in this manner and for the most part released."

Arrests of the Alleged Perpetrators of the Bombings (29.09.99)

The Russian Minister of Internal Affairs announced yesterday the arrest of many individuals suspected of involvement in the recent wave of terror.

• "All participants in the terrorist attacks in Moscow, Buynaksk, and Volgodonsk have already been identified," added Vladimir Rushailo, while preparing the first assessment for President Boris Yeltsin of the unprecedented deployment of police forces following these terrorist attacks, which resulted in 292 deaths since August 31.
• Also according to the Minister of Internal Affairs, the special services allegedly thwarted plans for 16 terrorist attacks and seized 521 tons of explosives in many large cities of the country.
• Identity checks allowed for the arrest of 130 people for "terrorism." But this does not mean that they are necessarily involved in the terrorist attacks.

Additional Reports

• "Delo", Ljubljana
• 10.09.99. Powerful explosion in Moscow (Branko Soban)
  • According to preliminary estimates, about 200 kg of TNT was used.
  • Since Wednesday night, 1500 people were relocated from the most affected buildings in the district.... 648 people lived in 192 apartments. The flames destroyed 78 apartments.
  • A stranger called the Interfax agency bureau in the afternoon and stated with a Caucasian accent that the bombing attacks in Buynaksk and Moscow were "our response to the bombing attacks by Russian aviation on peaceful villages in Chechnya and Dagestan."
• 11.09.99. The terrorist attack claimed at least 88 lives (Branko Soban)