Moscow Airport bombing - at least 31 dead

[folti78]

Domodedovo blast: Explosion rocks Moscow's main airport

Moscow's Domodedovo airport - the busiest in the Russian capital - has been rocked by an explosion that has reportedly killed 31 people.

More than 100 more are thought to have been injured in the blast, which reports suggest may have been the work of a suicide bomber.

Russia's chief investigator said the explosion was the work of terrorists.

The airport is 40km (25 miles) south-east of the city centre, and is popular with foreign workers and tourists.

Police have stepped up security across Russia's capital and at other airports, says the BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow.
Dozens of ambulances

Early local reports suggested Monday's blast had hit the baggage reclaim area of the international arrivals hall.

Dozens of ambulances rushed to the scene where emergency services are tending to the wounded.

A RIA Novosti news agency correspondent at the scene reported that a lot of smoke could be seen in the area, and there was a smell of burning.

The UK's Foreign Office said it was checking if any Britons were involved.

Last March the Russian capital's underground system was rocked by two female suicide bombers from Russia's volatile Dagestan region, who detonated their explosives on the busy metro system during rush hour, killing 40 people and injuring more than 80.

Suicide bomber kills 31 at Russian airport: reports
10:08am EST

By Amie Ferris-Rotman

MOSCOW (Reuters) - At least 31 people were killed and more than 100 injured on Monday in a suicide bombing at Russia's biggest airport, Russian news agencies reported.

Russia's ruble-dominated stock market MICEX fell by nearly two percent following the blast, which ripped through the baggage claim area at Moscow's Domodedovo airport at 1332 GMT.

Smoke wafted out of the baggage claim area and people were seen running out of the emergency exits at the airport, local media reported.

Initial casualty figures were contradictory with ITAR-TASS saying about 20 people had been killed. A spokeswoman for prosecutors put the number of casualties at about 20.

Moscow suffered its worst attack in six years in March 2010 when two female suicide bombers from Russia's volatile Dagestan region set off explosives in the metro, killing 40 people.

The Kremlin is struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency in the mainly Muslim North Caucasus, and rebels have repeatedly vowed they will take their battle to the Russian heartland.

(Writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman, editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Steve Gutterman and Mark Heinrich)

Some commenters at PPRuNe claim the blast happened during the peak hours. More casualities are expected.

[Thunderfire]

CNN

Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- An explosion attributed by Russia's Investigative Committee to terrorists killed at least 31 people and injured another 100 Monday at Moscow's busiest airport, Russian state TV said, citing the country's Health Ministry.
The Investigative Committee confirmed the blast at Domodedovo Airport and, in a post on its website, blamed it on a terrorist act. But the committee listed the number of injuries only at "more than 20" and did not say how many had died. State TV said the explosion occurred at the baggage claim area of the airport. The explosion occurred at 4:40 p.m., the official RIA Novosti news agency reported. Domodedovo is located 22 kilometers southeast of Moscow. According to the airport's website, it is the largest of Moscow's three airports, as well as the busiest in terms of passenger traffic.

This is the second terrorist attack during one year. Chechenian terrorist bombed the metro about 10 months ago.

[K. A. Pital]

Another testament to the inability of the Russian government to secure any critical object, from powerplants to airports. Every year more and more I get the feeling that all these acts are actually beneficial to the current power. They are rarely or never aimed at them, more at the common people - about whom they don't give a shit.

EDIT: As much as I hate the oligarchy in Russia, the board is just a place for relaxing conversations, and it is good if it stays that way. I shouldn't use N&P for hate venting. Apologies.

Oh, and merged for ya.

[Broomstick]

I'm sorry to hear about another bombing in Russia. My condolences to the injured and those left behind by the dead. I can only wish that an acceptable and effective solution be found to prevent these sorts of attacks in the future.

[spartasman]

I'm sorry to hear about another bombing in Russia. My condolences to the injured and those left behind by the dead. I can only wish that an acceptable and effective solution be found to prevent these sorts of attacks in the future.

You do realize the Russians are going to go ape-shit over this, correct?

[Jaepheth]

CNN reporting the casualties are now 35 dead and 152 wounded

Moscow (CNN) -- Terrorists detonated a bomb at Moscow's busiest airport on Monday, killing 35 people and wounding another 152, Russian authorities said.

President Dmitry Medvedev, who called the bombing a terrorist attack, ordered additional security at Moscow's other airports and transportation hubs, and Moscow police went on high alert in case of additional bombs.

The explosion occurred about 4:30 p.m. at the entrance of the international arrivals section of Domodedovo Airport, Itar-Tass said, citing a spokeswoman for the Russian Investigative Committee, Tatyana Morozova.

State TV aired video of the smoke-filled terminal, including what appeared to be bodies and luggage on the ground.
Where does airport blast leave security?
Witnesses react to Moscow bombing
Map: Domodedovo airport

The Russian National Anti-Terrorist Committee said 35 people were dead and 152 had been wounded in the explosion.

State TV, citing Russian authorities, said the bombing was the act of a suicide bomber who stuffed a homemade bomb with small metal objects to make it more deadly, then activated it in a crowded area where many people were either preparing for flights or waiting for arriving passengers. CNN could not independently verify those claims.

A heavy police presence remained outside of the airport nearly four hours after the explosion, and more than 10 ambulances with lights flashing and sirens screeching left the airport.

Incoming flights scheduled to land at Domodedovo were being diverted to Moscow's other airports, Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo, Russian TV said.

However, airport spokeswoman Yelena Galanova told Russian state TV that the airport was "operating as usual."

"There have been no departure delays. We were shut for only about 20 minutes after the explosion," she told state TV.

An airport employee, Andrei Surkov, told CNN that while the international arrivals area is still closed, international passengers were being routed through the domestic terminal located on the other end of the airport.

Lufthansa spokeswoman Claudia Lange said the airline has suspended all flights to Domodedovo until further notice.

Elina Bakhtina told state TV she was at the airport cafe she owns when the explosion occurred.

"The blast must have been very strong, because our cafe is about 100 meters from the arrivals area. When we heard the blast, glass just started falling from the ceiling," she said.
Smoke fills Moscow airport
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RELATED TOPICS

* Moscow
* Domodedovo International Airport
* Russia

Tatyana Papova, who was waiting at passport control when the explosion occurred, told state TV that escalators stopped working at the baggage claim area and airport employees started breaking down walls to help clear people from the area.

Domodedovo is 22 kilometers (14 miles) southeast of Moscow. According to the airport's website, it is the largest of Moscow's three airports, as well as the busiest in terms of passenger traffic.

U.S. President Barack Obama called the bombing a "premeditated attack against innocent civilians."

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen condemned the attack and urged greater cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said British officials are "in urgent contact with Russian authorities to establish the facts and to provide consular support to any British nationals who may have been affected."

Will Geddes, terrorism expert and managing director of International Corporate Protection Group, called the bombing a "very significant terror strike."

"To strike in the airport -- which is fundamentally believed and understood by many to be one of the most secure types of installations in a city or in a country -- to have such a devastating an attack with such a tragic result, means that they had planned this considerably well and gone ahead in achieving their aims," he said.

Russia has a long history of dealing with terror attacks.

Most recently, female suicide bombers struck the Moscow metro during rush hour in March, setting off two explosions that killed at least 38 people and wounded more than 60 others. Chechen rebels claimed responsibility for that attack.

In November 2009, an explosive device derailed an express train, killing at least 26 people.

[Broomstick]

I'm sorry to hear about another bombing in Russia. My condolences to the injured and those left behind by the dead. I can only wish that an acceptable and effective solution be found to prevent these sorts of attacks in the future.

You do realize the Russians are going to go ape-shit over this, correct?

Yes, however, it is not my nation and I did not want to delve into that part of the mess. Rather, I wanted to express my sympathy for the victims of mass violence which, you know, my country has some experience with, both with the immediate trauma and the government sometimes instituting either ineffective or kneejerk solutions, or both.

I do sincerely feel bad for the people hurt by this. One should be able to go to an airport with out fearing death.

[Chris OFarrell]

Fuckheads.

Its just so damn hard to protect against a well planed suicide attack. You can mitigate their effects to a large extent if you have good security, but its still the case that if someone is willing (or at least going) to give up their life to make themselves the ultimate 'smart-bomb', its damn near impossible to stop them without knowing about it in advance.

[MKSheppard]

The FSB knew that a group of suiciders were in the Moscow Region this morning -- the problem was that they didn't know where they'd strike.

[K. A. Pital]

I'm sorry to hear about another bombing in Russia. My condolences to the injured and those left behind by the dead. I can only wish that an acceptable and effective solution be found to prevent these sorts of attacks in the future.

You do realize the Russians are going to go ape-shit over this, correct?

Actually, no. There's been so many bombings during the last 20 years that most people probably don't give a flying fuck, especially those in the province. Some fear or are too stupid to care, others are filled with resentment at "rich Moscowers" and wish them all the bad. If by "Russians" you mean the government, that's also not true. They are going to wave their hands, show "activity" and then return back to "we don't give a shit" mode that they've been operating for the last decade or so.

The Moscow metro bombings and the summer forest fires were deadly and pretty horrific. The double massacres and exposed cases of real slavery in Stavropol - just recently. It was all quite recent. Where is the outrage? Where is the action? None to be seen.

Well, except the "education reform" proposed by the fascist party United Russia, which should leave pupils with rudimentary knowledge of all hard and humanitary sciences and instead drill them with Orthodoxy and Russian patriotism.

One should be able to go to an airport with out fearing death.

One should be able to use cheaper public transport, like the Metro or a bus, without fearing death as well - but there were many successful strikes against the public transit system.

[Vympel]

Another testament to the inability of the Russian government to secure any critical object, from powerplants to airports. Every year more and more I get the feeling that all these acts are actually beneficial to the current power. They are rarely or never aimed at them, more at the common people - about whom they don't give a shit.

That doesn't make sense. The bomb was triggered in the airport's open area, before any checkpoints, what were they supposed to do, set up a never-ending series of staggered checkpoints leading out of the airport until they were so far from what could be considered the airport that when the terrorist blew up the bomb before the checkpoint it wouldn't be an airport bombing?

Its very hard to stop an attack like this in advance. Anyone with sufficient motivation and a bomb can get to any crowded area before getting anywhere near a security checkpoint and kill dozens. The probably of stopping them from doing so is negligible.

[K. A. Pital]

That doesn't make sense.

The general situation in the country is contributing to the ease of terrorist attacks. How many airport bombings happened in the Soviet Union? Needless to remind you that the Baksan powerplant which was attacked earlier this year was guarded by TWO guards, one of which fell asleep and the other looked somewhere nobody knows where.

The bomb was triggered in the airport's open area, before any checkpoints, what were they supposed to do, set up a never-ending series of staggered checkpoints leading out of the airport until they were so far from what could be considered the airport that when the terrorist blew up the bomb before the checkpoint it wouldn't be an airport bombing?

Some buildings, including railway stations here in China, have checkpoints set up at the entrance to any interior facility.

Its very hard to stop an attack like this in advance. Anyone with sufficient motivation and a bomb can get to any crowded area before getting anywhere near a security checkpoint and kill dozens. The probably of stopping them from doing so is negligible.

No, it's not. Set up checkpoints with baggage run-through at the entrance. Maximum he can do is bomb the queue outside the building. The common factors contributing to efficiency of inside attack (including greater pressure and more lethal blast wave thanks to the walls) will be gone, and the efficiency of attacks will decrease.

[Vympel]

The general situation in the country is contributing to the ease of terrorist attacks. How many airport bombings happened in the Soviet Union? Needless to remind you that the Baksan powerplant which was attacked earlier this year was guarded by TWO guards, one of which fell asleep and the other looked somewhere nobody knows where.

The lax security of a power plant and the difficulty of stopping a suicide bombing at an airport are two different issues. But as for airport bombings in the Soviet Union, who had a reason to bomb airports in the Soviet Union? Many countries today are safe from terrorism not because their security is great (or even exists) but because they're simply not a target.

Some buildings, including railway stations here in China, have checkpoints set up at the entrance to any interior facility.

So? If anyone wanted to bomb a Chinese railway station, he'd just get into the crowd before reaching the checkpoint and kill dozens. Mission accomplished.

No, it's not. Set up checkpoints with baggage run-through at the entrance. Maximum he can do is bomb the queue outside the building. The common factors contributing to efficiency of inside attack (including greater pressure and more lethal blast wave thanks to the walls) will be gone, and the efficiency of attacks will decrease.

Any airport is already massively open as it is, the probability of nearby walls making things significantly more lethal isn't considerable, though ceilings might be a factor depending on how low they are. I've been to dozens of airports in my life, and I've never seen a checkpoint which baggage run-through at the entrance. Probably because it'd be painfully inconvenient for everyone.

I just read that this airport *did* have a security entrance at the concourse entrance, but it was removed last spring - because of the inconvenience.

[K. A. Pital]

The lax security of a power plant and the difficulty of stopping a suicide bombing at an airport are two different issues. But as for airport bombings in the Soviet Union, who had a reason to bomb airports in the Soviet Union? Many countries today are safe from terrorism not because their security is great (or even exists) but because they're simply not a target.

Are you saying the wahhabists in the Caucasus just popped out of nowhere in the last 20 years? Or maybe - just maybe - the collapse of the USSR and subsequent civil wars in the Caucasus created mass poverty which was used to recruit jihadists and suicide bombers?

So? If anyone wanted to bomb a Chinese railway station, he'd just get into the crowd before reaching the checkpoint and kill dozens. Mission accomplished.

See below. Mission not accomplished with the same efficiency as inside. The queue is always less people than the terminal itself contains, and outside explosions do not benefit from increased inside pressure. Russian airport halls are not that spacy either. If one watches the video, the explosion was done in a pretty crammed place, at least it seems so from the youtube reports.

Any airport is already massively open as it is, the probability of nearby walls making things significantly more lethal isn't considerable, though ceilings might be a factor depending on how low they are. I've been to dozens of airports in my life, and I've never seen a checkpoint which baggage run-through at the entrance. Probably because it'd be painfully inconvenient for everyone.

They used to have a few at several Sheremetyevo terminals when I was flying, but I've seen none elsewhere. However, considering the high level of threat to public transport in Russia, I would consider inconvenience an acceptable price.

I just read that this airport *did* have a security entrance at the concourse entrance, but it was removed last spring - because of the inconvenience.

How inconvenient! Now we have thirty dead bodies and a hundred wounded. I believe it matters a bit more than the inconvenience.

To make it clear - my relatives in Moscow use that airport (Domodedovo) on a more or less regular basis.

[Vympel]

Are you saying the wahhabists in the Caucasus just popped out of nowhere in the last 20 years? Or maybe - just maybe - the collapse of the USSR and subsequent civil wars in the Caucasus created mass poverty which was used to recruit jihadists and suicide bombers?

Exactly - the USSR did not have this problem, Russia does.

See below. Mission not accomplished with the same efficiency as inside. The queue is always less people than the terminal itself contains, and outside explosions do not benefit from increased inside pressure.

And yet people will still be dead, and some would still be calling for ever more security kabuki theatre to give them the illusion of safety when there is none to be had. If you want safety from terrorist attacks, one should look at whether you can modify your government's behavior. Technical means just aren't a substitute.

They used to have a few at several Sheremetyevo terminals when I was flying, but I've seen none elsewhere. However, considering the high level of threat to public transport in Russia, I would consider inconvenience an acceptable price.

How inconvenient! Now we have thirty dead bodies and a hundred wounded. I believe it matters a bit more than the inconvenience.

To make it clear - my relatives in Moscow use that airport (Domodedovo) on a more or less regular basis.

Unfortunately, people get lax as time passes, and the immediacy of the threat goes away. People start to grate against the constant intrusions and obstructions. Its the same everywhere.

[K. A. Pital]

Exactly - the USSR did not have this problem, Russia does. ... And yet people will still be dead, and some would still be calling for ever more security kabuki theatre to give them the illusion of safety when there is none to be had. If you want safety from terrorist attacks, one should look at whether you can modify your government's behavior. Technical means just aren't a substitute.

Hmm. I think I agree with this point. I think advanced security measures are also necessary, but I consider changing our government a top priority.

[Lonestar]

Such a similarly styled suicide bombing would be just as effective at most US Airports. Dulles Airport(finally) moved the main security checkpoint underground and structured it in such a way to minimize casulaties if a bomb gos off, but you can still walk right up to a crowded ticketing counter and kill a lot of people, not counting whoever gets injured in the stampede out.

[White Haven]

The problem that inevitably arises is that unless you're willing to invest a truly large amount of money into the bandwidth of your security measures, whatever you do will just move the resulting crowd further and further away from the airplanes themselves. 'Expect delays because of new security measures' just translates into 'the juiciest, least-defended target at the airport just moved around, retarget accordingly.'

[Sky Captain]

Only effective solution to terrorism problem is not to become a target. It is physically impossible to have enough security in every crowded place to stop a determined suicide bomber.
In every major city there are hundreds of crowded busses, shopping places, pubs, clubs, sports events, concerts. Imagine what kind of resources it would take to even try to guard all those places against a suicide bomber who is walking around looking for a target of oppurtunity.

[K. A. Pital]

Since citizens are targeted during their routine activities, "not becoming a target" is a bit hard. Solving the issue in places where it originates from (the Caucasus) would take more than the Pontius Pilatus approach we have now. It would have to be a solution wherein the government takes full responsibility for these regions and eliminates the poverty and radical Islam there, as well as cracks down on tribal culture and tribalism in general. Yeah, unlikely to ever happen, I know. And still, no matter how unlikely, it is the only solution.

[Broomstick]

Only effective solution to terrorism problem is not to become a target.

Excuse me? Did you run that past a reality check?

The point of this sort of terrorist suicide-attack is to target ordinary people going about their everyday business in public. There is no way to NOT be a target unless you're someone with the resources to be surrounded at all times by one's own security - and perhaps not even then.

The people who died in this attack were in all likelihood not connected to whatever grievance the suicide bomber had.

In my first post in this thread I wished for an acceptable and effective solution to this problem. It's not effective to even attempt to guard every possible target. It's not acceptable to commit genocide to eliminate the perpetrators hiding among other people. I wish I had an answer, but I don't.

[hongi]

Russia always seems to get the short end of the stick. Who can forget Beslan?

[Sky Captain]

Only effective solution to terrorism problem is not to become a target.

Excuse me? Did you run that past a reality check?

Sorry, you misunderstood me. By not becoming a target I meant that the countries in general act in a responsible manner that don't provoke terrorist attacks. Basically what Stas Bush said about solving the problem in its roots in a regions where it originate.

[Broomstick]

Frankly, I find your statement to have a strong element of "blame the victim".

Your position of countries "acting responsibly" would make more sense if the attacks were directed at the people who actually make the decisions but they aren't. The attacks are directed at ordinary people who, realistically, have little or no power to affect major decisions.

There is also the problem of ideology. It's not just a matter of "acting responsibility" when the aggressors (the people dispatching the suicide bombers) have an underlying motive of converting the world to their system and feel justified in killing those who won't submit. This isn't just about retaliation for perceived wrongs, it's meant to pressure people into changing their lives against their will. Crazy-ass fundy Islam wants to make everyone else just like them, there is no room for live and let live in their world. As far as they're concerned the only "responsible behavior" would be to immediately convert to their creed and submit to whatever they decide to do with you.

That's assuming the recent airport bombing was, in fact perpetrated by Muslim zealots - last I heard that was suspected but not confirmed. It could potentially be some other brand of motive at work here.

[Zixinus]

Does anyone know who was behind the attack and why?