Three members of Russian security forces and four gunmen were killed in a shootout in southern Russia on Wednesday during a sweep for militants before the Sochi Winter Olympics, authorities say.
Russia's National Anti-terrorism Committee (NAC) said the dead gunmen included a man accused of carrying out a car bomb attack in the city of Pyatigorsk late last year that killed three people.
Russia in on high alert following two suicide bombings in southern Russia last month that fueled security concerns before the Olympics. A top rebel leader in the North Caucasus has called on his followers to attack the Olympics.
President Vladimir Putin has staked a lot of personal and political prestige on the success of the Games, which open on Feb. 7, and has put security forces on combat alert in Sochi.
The NAC said in a statement that a group of militants had been trapped in a house in the village of Karlanyurt in the volatile Dagestan region of the North Caucasus. Five officers were also wounded in what a spokesman called a special operation.
Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala, is about 385 miles east of Sochi. The mostly Muslim region is plagued by bombings and shootings that mainly target police and state officials as part of the militants' fight to create an Islamist state.
At least 34 people were killed last month in the suicide bombings in the southern city of Volgograd. Putin ordered safety measures to be beefed up nationwide after the attacks.
About 37,000 personnel are now in place to provide security in Sochi, which is on the Black Sea and on the western edge of the Caucasus mountains, and the International Olympic Committee has expressed confidence the Games will be safe.
But, underlining the danger of attacks, security forces said on Saturday they had arrested five members of a banned militant group in southern Russia and defused a homemade bomb packed with shrapnel.
The main spokesman for Russia's Investigative Committee, whose responsibilities include looking into bombings and other attacks, appealed to civilians on Tuesday to be more vigilant and help avert the threat of "terrorist" attacks.
Showing posts with label car bomb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car bomb. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Bombings in Iraq hit markets, funeral, kill dozens
A wave of bombings across Iraq striking busy markets and a funeral north of Baghdad killed at least 44 people Wednesday, authorities said, as the country remains gripped by violence after al-Qaeda-linked militants took control of two cities in western Anbar province.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks. Insurgent groups, mainly al-Qaeda's local branch and other Sunni militants, frequently target civilians in cafes and public areas, as well as Shiites and members of Iraqi security forces, in an attempt to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government and stir sectarian tensions.
The deadliest attack struck a funeral in the town of Buhriz, about 35 miles north of Baghdad. That bombing killed 16 people and wounded 26 inside of a mourning tent, a police officer said.
The funeral was for an anti-al-Qaeda Sunni militiaman who died of natural causes two days ago. The Sunni militia, known as the Awakening Council, was formed by U.S. forces during the height of the insurgency. They are seen as traitors by al-Qaeda's local branch and other militant groups.
In Baghdad, a series of bombings killed at least 28 people.
The deadliest attack there took place in the northern Shula neighborhood, where a parked car bomb exploded in an outdoor market, killing five shoppers and wounding 12, a police officer said. In another nearby market, a bomb killed three civilians and wounded 10, authorities said.
A car bombing in the nearby Shaab neighborhood killed four civilians and wounded 14, officials said.
Another car bomb in a commercial area in the central Karrada area killed four civilians and wounded 14, police said. A car bomb in another part of Karrada killed two civilians and wounded 10, authorities said.
In Baghdad's southern suburb of Hussainya, a car bomb killed four civilians and wounded 11 in a market, officials said. In the capital's eastern Palestine Street, a car bomb killed three civilians and wounded 10, authorities said. Another market bombing killed three civilians and wounded eight in the eastern Maamil area, police said.
Medical officials confirmed the causality figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.
The army and allied tribesmen have been fighting al-Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group around Anbar's provincial capital, Ramadi, and the nearby city of Fallujah. The militants control the center of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi, a major challenge to the government and its forces two years after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
"The battle will be long and will continue," Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki said on state television on Wednesday, calling for world support. "If we keep silent it means the creation of evil statelets that would wreak havoc with security in the region and the world."
He has ruled out an assault on Falluja by the troops and tanks ringing the city of 300,000, but has told local tribesmen to expel the militants, who have exploited anger among minority Sunnis against a government they accuse of oppressing them.
Also Wednesday, the World Health Organization said the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah have acute health needs due to the conflict. The organization said it has dispatched 2 tons of medicines and supplies.
"There is an increasing number of patients suffering from injuries which, if not treated, will lead to irreversible damage," the WHO's Iraq representative, Dr. Syed Jaffar Hussain, said in a statement.
Violence has escalated in Iraq over the past year. Last year, Iraq saw the highest death toll since the worst of the country's sectarian bloodletting began to subside in 2007, according to United Nations figures. The U.N. said violence killed 8,868 last year.
At least 285 people have died in violence across the country so far this month, according to an Associated Press count.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks. Insurgent groups, mainly al-Qaeda's local branch and other Sunni militants, frequently target civilians in cafes and public areas, as well as Shiites and members of Iraqi security forces, in an attempt to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government and stir sectarian tensions.
The deadliest attack struck a funeral in the town of Buhriz, about 35 miles north of Baghdad. That bombing killed 16 people and wounded 26 inside of a mourning tent, a police officer said.
The funeral was for an anti-al-Qaeda Sunni militiaman who died of natural causes two days ago. The Sunni militia, known as the Awakening Council, was formed by U.S. forces during the height of the insurgency. They are seen as traitors by al-Qaeda's local branch and other militant groups.
In Baghdad, a series of bombings killed at least 28 people.
The deadliest attack there took place in the northern Shula neighborhood, where a parked car bomb exploded in an outdoor market, killing five shoppers and wounding 12, a police officer said. In another nearby market, a bomb killed three civilians and wounded 10, authorities said.
A car bombing in the nearby Shaab neighborhood killed four civilians and wounded 14, officials said.
Another car bomb in a commercial area in the central Karrada area killed four civilians and wounded 14, police said. A car bomb in another part of Karrada killed two civilians and wounded 10, authorities said.
In Baghdad's southern suburb of Hussainya, a car bomb killed four civilians and wounded 11 in a market, officials said. In the capital's eastern Palestine Street, a car bomb killed three civilians and wounded 10, authorities said. Another market bombing killed three civilians and wounded eight in the eastern Maamil area, police said.
Medical officials confirmed the causality figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.
The army and allied tribesmen have been fighting al-Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group around Anbar's provincial capital, Ramadi, and the nearby city of Fallujah. The militants control the center of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi, a major challenge to the government and its forces two years after the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
"The battle will be long and will continue," Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki said on state television on Wednesday, calling for world support. "If we keep silent it means the creation of evil statelets that would wreak havoc with security in the region and the world."
He has ruled out an assault on Falluja by the troops and tanks ringing the city of 300,000, but has told local tribesmen to expel the militants, who have exploited anger among minority Sunnis against a government they accuse of oppressing them.
Also Wednesday, the World Health Organization said the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah have acute health needs due to the conflict. The organization said it has dispatched 2 tons of medicines and supplies.
"There is an increasing number of patients suffering from injuries which, if not treated, will lead to irreversible damage," the WHO's Iraq representative, Dr. Syed Jaffar Hussain, said in a statement.
Violence has escalated in Iraq over the past year. Last year, Iraq saw the highest death toll since the worst of the country's sectarian bloodletting began to subside in 2007, according to United Nations figures. The U.N. said violence killed 8,868 last year.
At least 285 people have died in violence across the country so far this month, according to an Associated Press count.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Attacks across Baghdad and northern Iraq kill 70
At least 70 people have been killed in another wave of the horrifying daily violence that is threatening to unravel in Iraq, police officials around the country said.
More than 40 were killed in Baghdad Monday, many of whom were on their way to the Shiite holy city of Karbala. Another 17 pilgrims in Mosul were also killed by militants.
In Baghdad, at least 27 people were killed and more than 50 wounded when two car bombs exploded in quick succession near a procession of pilgrims making their way by foot to Karbala for the annual commemoration of the seventh century death of their Imam Hussein, a memorial called the Arbaeen.
Hussein was killed during a battle near Karbala for control of the Muslim nation after Mohammed's death in 632. Hussein's death led to a split between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
The violence comes a day after at least 21 people died, including an anchor with al-Mousliya TV, in shootings and explosions, police said.
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a statement to condemn "the appalling acts of terrorism carried out against innocent victims in Iraq" in the last two days.
Also Monday, at least eight people were killed and four others wounded when a car bomb exploded outside a police station in Baiji, authorities in Tikrit told CNN. Militants freed at least 10 prisoners, authorities said.
Minutes after the initial explosion, gunmen stormed the station and clashes erupted between them and Iraqi security forces, police officials said.
Baiji is located about 200 miles (320 km) north of Baghdad in Salaheddin province.
In nearby Tikrit, militants stormed the city council building, clashed with Iraqi security forces and occupied the facility for a time, police officials in the city said. Several hostages were freed, but at least five were killed.
State-run Iraqia TV reported that an anti-terrorism unit freed some hostages and killed the militants.
More than 8,000 people have been killed in Iraq in 2013, according to U.N. figures.
2 Dead in Russian Car Explosion
At least two people have been killed in the explosion of an automobile in a main city of Russia's restive North Caucasus region.
The state news agency RIA Novosti cited a spokeswoman for the regional Investigative Committee, Yekaterina Danilova, as saying two people were known dead in the Friday evening blast in Pyatigorsk.
The explosion took place near a traffic police station. News reports said investigators had not determined the cause of the blast and the victims had not been identified.
Bombings and other attacks occur frequently in the North Caucasus, where violence has spread following two separatist wars in Chechnya.
Pyatigorsk is the center of a federal administrative district created to oversee Kremlin efforts to stabilize the region, which is just east of Sochi, site of February's Winter Olympics.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Kansas Man Charged in Plot to Explode Car Bomb at Airport
WASHINGTON—A man has been charged in federal court with attempting to explode a car bomb at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin and U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom announced today. The defendant was arrested as part of an FBI undercover investigation, and the device used by the defendant was, in fact, inert and at no time posed a danger to the public.
Terry Lee Loewen, 58, of Wichita, Kansas, is charged in a criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in Wichita with one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to damage property by means of an explosive, and one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“There was no breach of Mid-Continent’s Airport’s security,” said U.S. Attorney Grissom. “At no time was the safety of travelers or members of the public placed in jeopardy.”
Loewen, who works as an avionics technician, is alleged to have spent months developing a plan that involved using his access card to airport grounds to drive a van loaded with explosives to the terminal. He planned to pull the trigger on the explosives himself and die in the explosion.
Agents arrested Loewen about 5:40 a.m. Friday after he attempted to enter the airport tarmac and deliver a vehicle loaded with what he believed were high explosives. Members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) took him into custody without incident.
Loewen has been under investigation by the Wichita Joint Terrorism Task Force since early summer 2013. It is alleged that, prior to his attempted attack, he made statements that he was resolved to commit an act of violent jihad against the United States. Over a period of months, he took a series of actions to advance the plot. According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Loewen:
“Lone wolves—home-grown violent extremists—remain a very serious threat to our nation’s security," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Kaste. “Today’s arrest emphasizes the continual need for the public to remain vigilant as law enforcement relies on the public’s assistance.”
If convicted, Loewen would face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Wichita FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes members from the FBI, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, and Kansas Highway Patrol. Assisting with the investigation were the FBI Kansas City Division, the Transportation Security Administration, the Wichita Airport Authority, and the Wichita Police Department.
The case is being handled by prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The charges merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
- Related press release: Remarks by Special Agent in Charge Michael Kaste at Press Conference on Car Bomb Plot
Terry Lee Loewen, 58, of Wichita, Kansas, is charged in a criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in Wichita with one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to damage property by means of an explosive, and one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“There was no breach of Mid-Continent’s Airport’s security,” said U.S. Attorney Grissom. “At no time was the safety of travelers or members of the public placed in jeopardy.”
Loewen, who works as an avionics technician, is alleged to have spent months developing a plan that involved using his access card to airport grounds to drive a van loaded with explosives to the terminal. He planned to pull the trigger on the explosives himself and die in the explosion.
Agents arrested Loewen about 5:40 a.m. Friday after he attempted to enter the airport tarmac and deliver a vehicle loaded with what he believed were high explosives. Members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) took him into custody without incident.
Loewen has been under investigation by the Wichita Joint Terrorism Task Force since early summer 2013. It is alleged that, prior to his attempted attack, he made statements that he was resolved to commit an act of violent jihad against the United States. Over a period of months, he took a series of actions to advance the plot. According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Loewen:
- studied the layout of the airport and took photographs of access points;
- researched flight schedules;
- assisted in acquiring components for the car bomb;
- and talked about his commitment to trigger the device and martyr himself.
“Lone wolves—home-grown violent extremists—remain a very serious threat to our nation’s security," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Kaste. “Today’s arrest emphasizes the continual need for the public to remain vigilant as law enforcement relies on the public’s assistance.”
If convicted, Loewen would face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
The investigation was conducted by the Wichita FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes members from the FBI, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, and Kansas Highway Patrol. Assisting with the investigation were the FBI Kansas City Division, the Transportation Security Administration, the Wichita Airport Authority, and the Wichita Police Department.
The case is being handled by prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The charges merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
- Related press release: Remarks by Special Agent in Charge Michael Kaste at Press Conference on Car Bomb Plot
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