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Bomb near Balzi Rossi
A homemade bomb exploded near an upscale Italian restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, killing three people and injuring at least 21, Russian authorities said.
“killed three people and injured at least 21”
The blast occurred just before 8 p.m. local time close to the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant at Kudrinskaya Square, where police said the venue was located in one of Moscow's seven Stalin-era skyscrapers.
Russia's Anti-Terrorism Committee said an unidentified woman tried to get into the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard, and the state RIA news agency reported that the woman, the security guard and a customer were killed in the blast.
The explosion prompted the deployment of an investigative task force and a large number of police and emergency personnel to the site, and the restaurant was closed to the public for a private banquet, according to its website.
Conflicting casualty counts
Russian officials and state media described the attack as an improvised explosive device detonating at the restaurant, with the National Anti-Terrorism Committee telling RIA Novosti that at least 21 people were injured.
Newsday, citing Russian state media, said the bomb detonated at a restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow killing at least three people, including the bomber, and injuring at least 21.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that the Interior Ministry said the explosion occurred at about 8.10 pm local time near Building 1 on Kudrinskaya Square, and that the National Anti-Terrorism Committee later told Tass the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device.
While CNN said the bomb killed two people as well as the woman suspected of carrying the device and injured 21 others, the CBC account said the woman, the security guard and a customer were killed, leaving the exact breakdown contested across outlets.
Investigation and wider context
Investigators said the attack was still being investigated, and the Moscow Investigative Committee told RIA Novosti that the case remained under review.
“The attack was still being investigated”
The Globe and Mail story page, citing the Associated Press, described the improvised explosive device detonating at a restaurant in central Moscow killing at least three people, including the bomber, and injuring at least 21.
CNN reported that investigators believed the bomb was detonated remotely and that a preliminary account indicated the woman most likely did not know what the package contained, as Kommersant reported.
In a separate thread about security in Russia, CBC said Russia's FSB security service told authorities earlier this year that they would step up protection for high-ranking military officials after a series of assassinations and attempted killings it blamed on Ukraine.
