Global General

At least one killed in suicide bombing in Chechnya

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-07-01 00:07
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MOSCOW - At least one person was killed and five others were wounded when a powerful explosion detonated by a suicide bomber rocked Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya on Wednesday.

The man identified as 22-year-old Adam Khamidov blew himself up near a police car parked in front of the central theater and concert hall in the Chechen capital of Grozny at 06:00 p.m. Moscow time (1400 GMT), where the republic's leader Ramzan Kadyrov was expected to attend a performance.

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Other reports said the man detonated the explosive device after police officers became suspicious and asked him to stop for a passport check.

The site has been sealed off.

Kadyrov told the Interfax news agency that at the time of the explosion he was already inside the building, and the concert went on without disruption.

Reports on the number of casualties varied. According to a Xinhua correspondent reporting from the scene, the number of wounded was five, but the Itar-Tass news agency put the injuries at 10. The RIA Novosti news agency said the five injured were all police officers.

The Associated Press reported that five people were wounded, including three police officers and two civilians.

Meanwhile the RBC news agency said 11 people were wounded, one of whom died later.

The chief surgeon of Grozny hospital told a Xinhua correspondent that five people were admitted to his facility.

Violence is common in Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, with militants frequently targeting police and officials as representatives of Russian authorities.

Moscow recently made economic improvements in the region to prevent locals from joining terrorists. The Kremlin has vowed to tackle the problems of unemployment, clan rivalry and corruption in the region, which are viewed as the reasons for violence there.

In recent serial special operations conducted in Chechnya, the republic that witnessed two separatist wars, several major militant gang heads have been killed.