Suicide Bombing in Grozny Kills One Person, Injures 5 Russian Policemen, 2 Civilians, June 3010

Suicide Bombing in Grozny Kills One Person, Injures 5 Russian Policemen, 2 Civilians

June 3010

Blast in Grozny Injures 5 Russian Police, 2 Civilians

Said Tsarnaev

GROZNY, June 30, 2010 (RIA Novosti)

A suicide bomber blew himself up in the capital of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya on Wednesday, injuring five police officers and two women, Chechen investigators said.

The blast occurred when a 22-year-old local resident approached a police vehicle parked near a concert hall in downtown Grozny.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov was in the building at the time of the explosion but said he did not know if he was the bomber's intended target.

"It is unclear what he wanted on his conscience, but the policemen showed their worth and he blew himself up," Kadyrov said.

The president said the blast was minor, adding that not one window in nearby buildings was shattered and people inside the theater did not hear the explosion. He put the number of injured at three police and two civilians.

The police cordon around the site of the blast has been lifted and traffic on Putin Avenue and nearby streets resumed.

Sporadic terrorist attacks and militant clashes are common in Russia's southern mainly Muslim republics in the North Caucasus, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.

The Kremlin has pledged to wage "a ruthless fight" against militant groups but also acknowledged a need to tackle unemployment, organized crime, clan rivalry and corruption as causes of the ongoing violence in the region.

Russia has been fighting militants in the North Caucasus for over a decade, including two separatist wars in Chechnya.

At least one killed in suicide bombing in Russia's Chechnya

MOSCOW, June 30, 2010 (Xinhua) --

At least one person was killed and five others were wounded when a powerful explosion detonated by a suicide bomber rocked Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya on Wednesday, authorities said.

According to local police, an unidentified man blew himself up near a police parking lot in front of the central concert hall in the Chechen capital of Grozny at 06:00 p.m. Moscow time (1400 GMT), where the republic's leader Ramzan Kadyrov was expected to arrive.

The site has been sealed off.

Reports on the number of casualties has varied. According to a Xinhua correspondent reporting from the scene, the number of wounded was five, but the Itar-Tass news agency put the injuries at 10. The RIA Novosti news agency said the five injured were all police officers.

Meanwhile the RBC news agency said a total of 11 people were wounded, one of whom died later.

The chief surgeon of the Grozny hospital told a Xinhua correspondent that five people were admitted to his facility.

Violence is common in Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, with militants frequently targeting police and officials as representatives of Russian authorities.

Moscow recently made economic improvements in the region to prevent locals from joining terrorists. The Kremlin has vowed to tackle the problems of unemployment, clan rivalry and corruption in the region, which are viewed as the reasons for violence there.

Editor: yan

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