From Novinite

One Bulgarian-Austrian Among Killed in Moscow Attack

Emergency workers carry out the body of a victim at Domodedovo airport in Moscow, after a bomb exploded Monday afternoon, killing 35 and sending more than 160 badly injured.

A 44-year-old Bulgarian man, apparently with Austrian citizenship, is among the 35 killed in the Monday terrorist attack at the Domodedovo airport in Moscow.

Nikolay Ivanov Ivanov was traveling from Vienna with Lauda Air;
his body was identified by the Russian Ministry of Emergencies. The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed his family.

Some 180 persons have been wounded in the Domodedovo attack, some of them are in critical condition.

At least two British nationals were among those killed, with a number of other non-Russian citizens among those accepted in Moscow hospitals.

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov and PM Boyko Borisov were among the world leaders who expressed their condolences to the Russian people and those affected by the attack, which they condemned as terrible and inexcuseable.

From Novinite

'I will kill you all': Terrifying scream of Moscow terrorist before he blew 35 - including one Briton - to pieces

'It was a terror attack,' confirms President Medvedev
Two foreigners among the injured according to Russian agency Interfax
Italian and French nationals among casualties
British Airways flight destined for Moscow turned around
Officials searching for three male suspects

A Briton was among at least 35 people killed in a suicide bomb attack on Russia’s busiest airport yesterday.

Gordon Campbell Cousland died after a terrorist stormed into the intentional arrivals hall at Moscow’s Domodedovo ­Airport and detonated his explosives.

Witnesses described hearing the bomber scream ‘I will kill you all’ beforehand.

Footage filmed by bystanders showed smoke and flames engulfing Russia’s ­premier airport. Survivors used baggage trolleys to carry the dead and wounded from the smoke-clogged terminal.

One said: ‘It was bloody carnage in there, a scene from hell. Human beings were just blown apart.’

Scroll down for a news report

The 15lb device was packed with ­shrapnel to inflict maximum damage.

Two planes from Heathrow, carrying hundreds of passengers, landed at the ­airport only minutes before the terror attack.

There were conflicting reports today that the bomber may actually have been a woman. Yesterday, Russian authorities said that the terrorist was male.

The explosion detonated at 4.32pm local time (1.32pm GMT), 46 minutes after the arrival of the British Airways flight from Heathrow, with 165 passengers on board.

A British Midland flight from London, with 97 passengers, arrived just a few minutes before the blast. A later BA flight was forced to turn around in mid-air and return to London.

Witness Artyom Zhilenkov said the bomber ‘exploded right in front of my eyes’. He said: ‘A man in a black coat, black hat ... he walked out of the check-out zone and exploded to pieces.

‘I only survived because I stood between the columns with many people waiting in front of me. Perhaps the bomb was in his luggage.’
Debris: The 7kg bomb left a huge pile of rubble - as shown here - and left over 100 people injured

Those on the first BA flight described how they felt the shockwave from the explosion.

Passenger Mark Green said: ‘There was this almighty explosion, a huge bang. It just shook you.
‘People started flowing out of the terminal, some of whom were covered in blood. One gentleman had a pair of jeans on that was ripped and his thigh – from his groin to his knee – was covered in blood.’

Moscow police launched a search for three male suspects, believed to be accomplices of the bomber. Russian president Dmitry Medvedev cancelled a trip to the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland and ordered a security crackdown around Moscow amid fears of further attacks.

There were claims the FSB security service had received intelligence at least a week earlier about a possible terrorist incident at an airport, but had failed to halt the plot or warn the public.

A security source said: ‘The special ­services had received information that an act of terror would be carried out at one of the Moscow airports. Agents were seeking three suspects but they ­managed to access the territory of the airport, ­witness the explosion which their ­accomplice ­carried out and then leave the airport.’

An airport source told a news website that a tip-off was received a week earlier, warning that Domodedovo was the intended target and even specifying the exact location inside the terminal.

The apparent security lapse will raise questions as to why compulsory checks were not ­introduced for everyone ­entering the airport.

Police said yesterday initial investigations ­suggested the bomber was a man, aged 30 to 35, from the Caucasus region, which includes the tinderbox republics of ­Chechnya and Dagestan.

Analysts say rebels are planning to increase violence in the run-up to ­presidential elections next year, in ­protest against the possibility that ­current prime minister Vladimir Putin will return to the presidency.

Domodedovo is 26 miles from the centre of Moscow. In 2004 two female Chechen suicide bombers killed 90 after boarding two planes at the airport.

Prime Minister David Cameron spoke to President Medvedev last night.

A Downing Street statement said: ‘The Prime Minister utterly condemned today’s explosion. He offered his condolences and sympathies to all those who had been affected by what he described as an appalling attack.’

'The Prime Minister assured President Medvedev of his complete support and said that the Russian authorities could count on Britain for any assistance they needed.

The Prime Minister made clear that the people of Britain stood with the people of Russia in the face of these events and said that 'we should never allow the terrorists to win'.'

No one immediately claimed responsibility and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said: 'From the preliminary information we have, it was a terror attack.'

On Twitter he added: 'Security will be strengthened at large transport hubs.

'We mourn the victims of the terrorist attack at Domodedovo airport. The organizers will be tracked down and punished.'

RIA Novosti reported that two suicide bombers blew themselves up as people emerged from the international arrivals zone.

Interfax were told by a source: 'According to early reports, two foreigners were injured as a result of the explosion, both have been hospitalised.'

The same agency said that fragments of a suspected suicide bomber were found. He was an 'Arab-looking man, aged 30-35'. His head was found blown off his shoulders.

David Cameron offered Britain's 'complete support' in dealing with the terror attack in a telephone call with Mr Medvedev, Downing Street said.

'The Prime Minister utterly condemned today's explosion at Domodedovo airport. He offered his condolences and sympathies to all those who had been affected by what he described as an appalling attack.' a Number 10 spokeswoman said.

Condolences: Foreign Secretary William Hague said: 'I am deeply shocked and saddened at today's explosion at Moscow's Domodedovo airport with the loss of many lives.'

In a statement, Foreign Secretary William Hague said: 'I am deeply shocked and saddened at today's explosion at Moscow's Domodedovo airport with the loss of many lives.

'On behalf of the UK, I send condolences to all those who have lost relatives or been injured.

'British officials are in urgent contact with the Russian authorities to establish the facts and to provide consular support to any British nationals who may have been affected.'

A statement from the Foreign Office read: 'The airport is currently closed and you should not travel there. We will provide further updates as soon as we are able to.'

A total of almost 240,000 British nationals entered Russia in 2009.

The Foreign Office advice warns of a high threat from terrorism in Russia, with the possibility of indiscriminate attacks.

'We are also making contact with the British airlines using Domodedovo,' a Foreign Office spokesman added.

'For those who are worried about friends or relatives who may be caught up in the explosion, please call the Foreign Office on 0207 0081500.'

BMI said it operates two flight daily into the airport.
Wounded: A bewildered man injured in the blast receives medical attention from the doctors

A spokeswoman said flight BD891 landed at 4.30pm local time with 97 passengers on board.

She said all the passengers had disembarked before the incident happened.

'All the BMI crew are accounted for,' she said.

'We are waiting for information about whether the passengers were caught up in the incident from the authorities in Moscow.'

A British Airways operates three flights daily into the airport and a spokeswoman said: 'We are speaking to our teams at the airport to establish further information.'

Flight BA872 landed at 3.46pm local time with 165 passengers on board.

The passengers disembarked and the flight turned around, leaving Moscow at 4.49pm.

In Washington, President Barack Obama condemned the 'outrageous act of terrorism'.

Airport security confirmed that shrapnel, screws and metal balls were found at the blast site.

Witness Mark Green, who had just arrived on a BA flight, told BBC News: 'As we were picking up the bags to put them into the back of the car, there was an almighty explosion. It reverberated through our bodies.'

He said the snow falling from the terminal was "
like an avalanche coming down"
.

He continued: 'There was a pause of 30 seconds before people started running out of the terminal, some of whom were injured, some of whom were covered in blood or some kind of black product.

'People were obviously in a state of shock and panic.

'People were wandering around not quite sure what was going on. Security services were running around trying to keep people to one side, keep people calm, trying to move the injured people to one side.'

TERROR ATTACKS ON RUSSIA IN RECENT YEARS

September 13, 1999: A Moscow apartment building is destroyed by a bomb, leaving 118 dead

October 23-26, 2002: Rebels from the separatist Caucasus republic of Chechnya take hostage more than 800 people attending a musical in Moscow - 130 hostages are killed

July 5, 2003: Two female suicide bombers kill 15 people at a Moscow rock concert

December 5, 2003: More than 40 people die in a bomb attack on a Russian commuter train just north of Chechnya

February 6, 2004: A bomb kills 41 people on a Moscow subway train

August 24, 2004: Two passenger planes take off from Moscow and explode in coordinated bombings, killing 90 people

September 1-3, 2004: Chechen separatists take some 1,200 children, teachers and parents hostage at a school in Beslan, North Ossetia. The siege ends in a shootout that kills at least 344 people, half of them children, and 31 rebels

November 27, 2009: Bomb on passenger train running from Moscow to Saint Petersburg kills 28 people

March 29, 2010: Some 39 people are killed when two female suicide bombers blow themselves up in metro stations in central Moscow

September 9, 2010: Seventeen people are killed by a car bomb near a market in the Russian Caucasus city of Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia.

Asked if all the people on his flight would have made it out of the terminal, he said: 'I would be extremely surprised if there was nobody on that flight that was affected by the blast.'

Mr Green, who travels to Moscow once a month, said it was 'one of the busiest times' he had seen at the airport, with 'thousands' inside.

Business traveller Jeremy Spencer was in the immigration hall when the explosion went off.

He told BBC News there was a 'loud bang and then the ceiling and the floor shook where we were standing. Dust started to appear from the ceiling.

'People immediately grabbed their telephones to see what had happened.

'I didn't realise it was quite so major. It was only getting out of the airport we found out what had happened.'

BA confirmed that BA874 which left London en route to Moscow at 12.30pm had turned back towards the UK.

Bodies, luggage and debris lays strewn on the floor of the smoke-filled terminal.

One shell-shocked man can be seen briefly, standing behind his luggage trolley among the carnage, looking from side to side.

As the camera moves through what appears to be the arrivals area, bodies are visible on the floor massed near a pillar.

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

The Russkaya Sluzhba Novostei radio station cited a traveller, identified as Viktor, as saying he heard the bang outside the airport, where he was waiting for a car.

'There was an explosion, a bang,' said Viktor. 'Then I saw a policeman covered in fragments of flesh and all bloody. He was shouting 'I've survived! I've survived!'''

Russia's rouble-dominated stock market MICEX fell by nearly two per cent following the blast.

Domodedovo, located in the Domodedovsky District, 42 kilometres (26 miles) south-southeast of the centre of Moscow, is generally regarded as Moscow's most up-to-date airport, but its security procedures have been called into question.

Suicide attack: Police are looking for three male suspects after the blast at the most used airport in Russia

It is the largest airport in Russia in terms of passenger and cargo traffic (22.25 million passengers used the airport in 2010, which is a 19.2 per cent increase on 2009), and is one of the three major Moscow airports along with Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo.

In 2004, two suicide bombers were able to board planes at Domodedovo by buying tickets illegally from airport personnel. The bombers blew themselves up in mid-air, killing all 90 people aboard the two flights.

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 39 people and wounding 60 others.

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.

From Novinite

PM: No Terrorism Fears in Bulgaria, We Are Close with Arabs

Bulgaria counts on its balanced foreign policy and good relations with the Arab world in order to prevent terrorist attacks such as the one that just happened in Russia, according to Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov.

Borisov, who is on an official visit to Japan, commented for the media the tragic events at the Moscow "
Domodedovo"
airport where an explosion killed 35 people and injured 130 on Monday.

"
We maintain friendly relations with Palestine, with all Arab countries. The Arab world is doing business in Bulgaria;
there is a doner kebab on every street corner, the PM said to assuage fears of an attack on Bulgaria.

Borisov said the cabinet hopes people who made decisions about such attacks to take into account Bulgaria's ties with the Arab countries.

When asked if authorities have upped security at Bulgarian airports, the PM stated that even in countries with much stronger secret services things that nothing can prevent happen.

"
You don't think Russian or American services have not been on alert, do you,"
Borisov asked, adding he was shaken by terrorism.

"
This is murder. Pain for everyone. It is an inadmissible way to solve issues in the 21st century,"
Borisov pointed out.

George, please can you edit your posts and quote the source of the above articles?

Thanks
Chris

Hi Chris,

Can you make the first two editable as I don't have access to them now.

Regards, George.

Hi George, send me the source by PM and I'll add for you .. if you can paste the URL for the thread it would help greatly!

Many Thanks
Chris

Novinite

Russia Mourns Victims of Airport Attack

A TV grab from Russian NTV channel shows the site of bomb explosion in Domodedovo airport in Moscow, Russia 24 January 2011. At least 35 people were killed and around 180 others injured in what authorities confirmed was a suicide bomb attack.
Moscow will hold a day of mourning on Wednesday for the victims of the bombing at the city's busiest airport which killed at least 35 people, including one Bulgaria-born man with Austrian passport.

At least 35 people died and 117 of the 180 injured required hospital treatment. Many are still in a critical condition. So far only 20 of the bodies have been able to be identified.

Flags will fly at half mast in Moscow and nearby regions. Entertainment programmes will be dropped from television and radio broadcasts, and concerts have been cancelled.

The much-criticised airport security has been stepped up, with all travellers now being forced to pass through x-ray screening.

In a hard-hitting verdict on the events at Domodedovo on Monday, Russia's President Medvedev said "
pure anarchy reigned"
at the airport.

Airport authorities firmly denied any culpability.

Militant groups from the North Caucasus are suspected of planning the attack, but no one has claimed responsibility yet.

Militants from the North Caucasus are frequently blamed for terror attacks in Russia, including a double suicide bombing in March 2010 that killed 40 people on Moscow's underground system. That attack was blamed on female suicide bombers from Dagestan.

The loss of life no matter where they come from is very sad

Why this sort of thing goes on god only knows. May we pray for the lost souls and those that are left behind to grieve.

tonyb60 wrote:

The loss of life no matter where they come from is very sad

Why this sort of thing goes on god only knows. May we pray for the lost souls and those that are left behind to grieve.

Of course, you are right Tony. But it's not going to stop, unfortunately. It is happening worldwide and much to my chagrin, it is becoming part of everyday life.

From Novinite

Details Emerge about Bulgarian-Austrian Moscow Attack Victim

A woman places a burning candle in remembrance for the Domodedovo suicide bombing victims at a church in Moscow. Flags flew at half-mast on public buildings as Russia held a Day of Mourning.
Nikolay Ivanov, the Bulgarian native with Austrian passport, who was killed during the terrorist attack at the "
Domodedovo"
airport in Moscow, was from Sofia.

The 42-year-old man left behind a toddler - a boy 2.5 years of age.

Ivanov's story, told by his parents, was published in the Bulgarian dailies "
Trud"
(Labor) and "
24 Chasa"
(24 Hours).

The father, Ivan, 78, says they found out from the internet their son has been killed and are crushed by sorrow and pain. The little boy is also Ivan, named after his grandfather.

The mother, Petruna, 69, tells they last saw Nikolay and Ivan on skype Sunday.

On the day of the attack, their daughter-in-law, Atanaska, 34, a Varna native, called them to tell them Nikolay had landed in Moscow.

"
I landed and am waiting for my luggage,"
were the man's last words. He had promised his son to be back home Friday.

Ivanov left for Vienna at the age of 25, after receiving his diploma from the Sofia University for National and World Economy. He started his life from scratch in Austria, working odd jobs – porter during the day, taxi cab driver at night.

Through persistence and hard work he managed to land a job as Finance Director of a large furniture business with representation in Moscow. He had been flying every week to the Russian capital on business.

Two years ago, Ivanov received Austrian citizenship. He married Atanaska, and purchased an apartment in Vienna.

Russia has declared Wednesday a National Day of Morning for the 35 victims of the attack. They have all been identified. Another 117, including foreigners, remain listed in Moscow hospitals with injuries from the blast.

The Russian government slated RUB 120 M for the families of the victims and the of the injured.

It was revealed late Tuesday, the suicide bomber appeared to be from European origins, after his head was found among the rubble from the explosion.

Russian Islamist Only Suspect in Moscow Suicide Bombing (novinite)

Emergency workers carry out the body of a victim at Domodedovo airport in Moscow, after a bomb exploded Monday afternoon, killing at least 35 and sending more than 180 badly injured.
An ethnic Russian member of a North Caucasus militant group is the first suspect in the Moscow airport suicide bombing, which killed at least 35 people, Russian media reported.

No firm conclusions have been made yet, but unofficial reports pointed to a link with a North Caucasus militant group, responsible for a suicide bomb plot on December 31 in Moscow.

The Russian Kommersant daily reported that the investigation was focused on a man named Razdobudko from the Stavropol region, north of the Caucasus mountains, who is suspected of belonging to an Islamist militant group Nogaisky Dzhamaat, which was supposedly eliminated in October 2010.

According to a security source, the man was the only suspect for the attack at the Domodedovo airport and this is why there was no need of rushed conclusion.

Kommersant stated once again previous reports that the attack could be linked to the New Year’s Eve attack in Moscow where a suspected female suicide bomber is believed to have blown herself up.

Four high-ranking officials from the Russian Gosavianadzor civil aviation supervision authority, Transport Supervision Service and the Federal Air Transport Agency have been fired over the Domodedovo explosion, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Thursday, ITAR-TASS reported.

The suicide attack in Moscow on January 24 killed at least 35, including a Bulgarian native with Austrian passport, and injured at least 180. Of the casualties, 31 died at the airport, three in the hospital and one in the ambulance.

Militant groups from the North Caucasus are suspected of planning the attack, but no one has claimed responsibility yet.

Militants from the North Caucasus are frequently blamed for terror attacks in Russia, including a double suicide bombing in March 2010 that killed 40 people on Moscow's underground system. That attack was blamed on female suicide bombers from Dagestan.

Novinite

Russian Authorities Solve Domodedovo Bombing Case

The Russian Investigative Committee took five days to unravel the plot behind the terrorist attack on the Moscow "
Domodedovo"
airport, the Russian information agency ITAR-TASS reports Saturday.

35 people, including foreigners, died and over 130 were injured during an explosion at the airport on January 24th. 130 are still listed in Moscow hospitals.

The spokesperson of the Investigative Committee, Vladimir Markin, announced the authorities now know the truth about the attack, but promised more details later Saturday.

Markin thanked all citizens who called with information on the case. A total of 88 investigators, terrorism and criminal experts, police and local FBI have taken part in the probe.

The Russian information agency Interfax reports the authorities are looking for several suspects in the case. The agency cites undisclosed sources form the security services.

Novinite

Transport Minister: No Threat of Terrorist Attack on Bulgaria

Bulgarian Transport Minister, Aleksander Tsvetkov, says security measures must correspond to the risk level.
There is no danger and no threat of terrorist attacks on Bulgarian territory, Transport Minister, Aleksander Tsvetkov, assured Saturday.

In an interview for Darik radio, the Minister pointed out Bulgarians must be vigilant and the taking of preventive measures was more important than "
running behind events."


Tsvetkov's comments were made in connection with the Monday explosion at the Moscow "
Domodedovo"
airport, which killed 35 and injured 130.

The Minister informed checks on safety systems at all Bulgarian airports and railroad stations have already been conducted and the security level, especially at Sofia airport was above the EU average.

Tsvetkov gave as example the 261 video cameras and several hundred officers providing security at the airport, adding railroad stations are also equipped with video-monitoring systems and postal services are 100% secure and safe.

The Minister pointed out security measures must not be excessive because they restrict passengers' rights.

"
Security measures must be unnoticeable. Europe is not a potential target of attacks similar to the one at "
Domodedovo,"
so measures must correspond to the risk level,"
Tsvetkov explained.

Novinite

Russian Authorities: 20-Year-Old Identified Airport Attacker

The attack at the Domodedovo airport took the lives of 35 people and injured over 180 more.
A 20-year-old man from North Caucasus was the suicide bomber who killed 35 people, including foreigners, and injured over 180 at the Moscow “Domodedovo” airport, Russian investigators announced.

The announcement was made Saturday at the website of the Russian Federal Investigative Committee.

Spokesman Vladimir Markin said the man’s name will be announced after the investigation on the case is over, the BBC reported.

According to the Investigative Committee, the attack aimed "
first and foremost"
foreign citizens.

"
I would especially like to note that it was by no means an accident that the act of terror was committed in the international arrivals hall,"
Markin said.

At least seven foreigners were among the killed. They were from Britain, Germany, Austria, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

There were also 16 Russians among the dead. The remaining 12 have not been identified yet.

The Investigative Committee took five days to unravel the plot behind the terrorist attack on January 24.

Markin thanked all citizens who called with information on the case. A total of 88 investigators, terrorism and criminal experts, police and local FBI have taken part in the probe.