A suicide bombing struck near a building of the Russian Interior Affairs Ministry in Dagestan, North Caucasus on Saturday, injuring 13 people, including two children, officials said.
The suicide bomber, reportedly female, died on the spot, with
five police officers and eight civilians receiving injuries in the
attack.
They were taken to hospitals across the city of Makhachkala, where
one of the victims, a woman, passed away due to receiving heavy
shrapnel wounds.
According to the Interior Ministry, two police officers, who were
the closest to the suicide bomber, remain in critical
condition.
A preliminary investigation identified the attacker as Madina
Aliyeva, a missing person who was previously married to two
Islamist militants.
Police said Aliyeva carried the bomb in a bag, and “it was
detonated by the terrorist herself”.
The bomb, which consisted of an F1 hand grenade and five grenade
shells filled with striking elements, had an explosive force equal
to 500 grams of TNT.
The blast was reportedly so powerful that a shockwave was felt a
great distance from the explosion. Police are currently searching
the area for more explosives, fearing a second blast might
follow.
On May 20, two bombs were detonated outside the headquarters of the
court bailiff in Dagestan’s capital Makhachkala, killing four
people and injuring 46.
The second blast in Makhachkala was more powerful than the first,
coming after police arrived at the scene of the initial
explosion.
Such double blasts are frequently used by terrorists in the North
Caucasus to target police and raise the death tolls of their
attacks.