Moscow steps up security measures after deadly blast in North Ossetia

The Russian authorities have ordered security measures be stepped up in Moscow after a blast rocked Russia’s South, killing 17 and wounding more than 120 people.

Moscow police have tightened control over vehicles entering the city after a car bomb exploded in the marketplace of Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia, on Thursday afternoon.

Police are also patrolling the capital’s market places.

Security concerns are especially high due to the fact that the terrorist act coincided with the international Global Policy Forum, which has attracted dozens of top officials, politicians, businessmen, scholars and experts from over the world to the city of Yaroslavl, not far from Moscow.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev promised to find the organizers of the blast and punish them, and vowed to help the victims of the terrorist action.

His comments were echoed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who condemned the attack, stating the Russian authorities will not allow terrorists to bring enmity to the peoples of Russia.

Presidential Envoy to North Caucasus Aleksander Khloponin has announced that the investigators of the attack already have unearthed a few clues, but called on the region’s residents to be alert and attentive.

“We have several clues regarding the people who committed this crime; we are working on them,” Khloponin assured.

“We should find and punish the organizers of this evil deed. We should not stay indifferent to what’s happening around us. That is why we should be alert and actively resist those who think they can rule our destinies, who do not want our children to have a normal future,” he added.

Meanwhile, Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika took the investigation of the terrorist act under his personal control.

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