suicideBomb blast at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport

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Briton feared among 35 dead in suicide bomb attack on Moscow airport - Telegraph

 

At least 35 people were killed, reportedly including one Briton, in a suicide bomb blast at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport on Monday.

 

Russia's Interfax news agency said a Briton was among the dead following Monday's suicide bombing.

 

The names of the victims have not yet been released, and the Foreign Office said that it could not confirm whether any Britons had been killed.

 

Separately, the Ministry of Health and Social Development reported on its website that the list of those receiving hospital treatment included one man from Italy and another from France.

 

The Slovak embassy told the RIA Novosti news agency that the actress Zuzana Fialova was also injured in attack and was receiving treatment at a Moscow hospital.

 

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We've seen that report. At the moment we are not in a position to confirm anything. We are urgently investigating."

 

Russian officials put the number of casualties at 35, and described it as an "act of terror". Over 130 people were injured in the attacks.

 

Reports on Russian television suggested the bomber shouted, "I'll kill you all!", before detonating the device.

 

"Today at 4:32 pm (1332 GMT) an explosion went off in the international arrivals hall of Domodedovo airport," the Russian investigative committee said in a statement.

 

A British Airways flight from London had arrived in Moscow at 3.45pm, with 165 people on board.

 

A BMI flight with 97 passengers and six crew members landed at the airport at approximately the same time as the bomb was detonated.

 

British Airways operates three flights daily from the airport while BMI operates two flights.

 

Following the incident, the Foreign Office updated its travel advice.

 

It said: "An explosion occurred at Domodedovo airport, Moscow, at approximately 4.30pm local time on Monday January 24.

 

"There are reports that a bomb went off in the international arrivals hall and that over 30 people have been killed.

 

"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.

 

American President Barack Obama called the attack "outrageous" and the UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he was "appalled".

 

"I strongly condemn this outrageous act", Mr Obama said, quoted by White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

 

"Any assistance that the government of Russia needs or wants, we certainly stand ready to help," he added.

 

No group has yet taken responsibility for the attack, but dozens of people, writing in Russian, praised the suicide bomber on unofficial Islamist site kavkazcenter.com.

 

Mark Green, a British Airways passenger who had just arrived at the airport, told the BBC he heard the huge explosion as he left the terminal.

 

"Literally, it shook you," he said. "As we were putting the bags in the car a lot of alarms ... were going off and 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," he added.

 

Asked if all the people on his flight would have made it out of the terminal, Mr Green said he would be surprised if passengers on his flight were not affected.

 

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered increased security at all transport hubs in the capital, and cancelled his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he was due to deliver the opening speech on Wednesday.

 

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, 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."

 

Local media reported the blast may have hit the baggage reclaim area of the international arrivals hall.

 

The airport, which is Moscow's busiest, is around 25 miles south-east of the city centre.

 

Domodedovo is generally regarded as Moscow's most up-to-date airport, but its security procedures have been called into question.

 

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 40 people

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Probably the FSB. No doubt the Russian foreign ministry will respond by asking me for a bribe.