At least four policemen have been killed when a car bomb
exploded in a southern Russian city on Friday, Russian news
agencies reported.
A car laden with explosives blew up near a community center in
downtown Nazran, the largest city in Russia's North Caucasus
republic of Ingushetia, RIA said, citing local police sources.
Two vehicles caught fire and several people were injured on spot
when the accident occurred at about 7:15 PM Moscow time (15:15
GMT), police sources said.
The explosion, however, was caused by the collision of two
vehicles, Itar-Tass cited a source at the Ingush Interior Ministry
as saying.
"A traffic police vehicle collided with a civilian sedan," the
anonymous source said.
But a high-ranking officer at the Ingush Interior Ministry said
later Friday that it was a terrorist attack.
The explosion occurred when the police cruiser was passing by
the parked vehicle, which was loaded with a remotely controlled
bomb equivalent to two kilograms TNT, Itar-Tass quoted the officer
as saying.
The Ingushetia republic was neighboring the Chechen republic and
the two regions were both suffering from year-long terrorist
activities.
(Xinhua News Agency September 1, 2007)
