A summer evening near one of Moscow’s most recognisable towers turned deadly yesterday when a woman carrying a homemade bomb detonated it close to an upscale restaurant in the city centre, killing three people and injuring at least 21, authorities said.
The blast struck shortly before 8pm local time near an Italian restaurant in one of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinkskaya Square, police said.
Russia’s Anti-Terrorism Committee said an unidentified woman attempted to enter the venue but was stopped by a security guard, according to the state RIA news agency.
Moments later, the committee said, an explosion followed that killed the woman, the guard and a customer at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant.
Police said those wounded suffered injuries of varying severity.
Video released by Russia’s state RIA news agency showed heavily armed law enforcement officers at a scene sealed off from the public.
The explosion occurred just before 8pm local time yesterday
Authorities did not identify the dead or injured, and they gave no indication of who they believed was behind the attack.
The incident comes more than four years into Russia’s full-scale war with Ukraine. Earlier this year, Russia’s FSB security service said it would tighten protection for high-ranking military officials after a string of assassinations and attempted killings that it attributed to Kyiv.
The Kommersant daily newspaper, citing its own sources, reported that the bomb was intended to maim and kill guests who were enjoying themselves on the restaurant’s summer terrace outside.
The restaurant’s website said the venue had been closed yesterday for a private event.
Watch: Aftermath of bomb near Moscow restaurant
