Breaking News : Moscow's Metro System Gets Bombed

[Cait Sith]

This occurred about two to three hours ago at the height of the morning rush hour in Moscow.

 

MOSCOW - At least 37 people were killed Monday when two separate blasts rocked metro stations in central Moscow during rush hour, law enforcement and emergency officials said.

 

Russian prosecutors said they had launched a "terrorism probe."

 

No group immediately took responsibility for the blasts but suspicion is likely to fall on groups from Russia's North Caucasus, where Moscow is fighting a growing Islamist insurgency.

 

Emergency Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova said the dead in the first explosion included 14 people who were in the train's second car where the blast occurred and another 11 people who were on the platform at the Lubyanka station in central Moscow. The explosion occurred at 7:56 a.m. local time (11:56 p.m. ET).

 

The headquarters of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), successor to the Soviet-era KGB, is located just above the station.

 

State news agencies ITAR-Tass and RIA Novosti report a second explosion hit the Park Kultury station about 45 minutes later. City police spokesman Viktor Biryukov told The Associated Press that at least 12 people were killed in that blast.

 

The Moscow subway system is one of the world's busiest, carrying around 7 million passengers on an average workday, and is a key element in running the sprawling and traffic-choked city.

 

The blasts practically paralyzed movement on the city center's main roads, as emergency vehicles sped to the stations. Helicopters hovered overhead the Park Kultury station area, which is next to the city's renowned Gorky Park.

 

Passengers, many of them in tears, streamed out of the station, one man exclaiming over and over "This is how we live!"

 

At least a dozen ambulances were on the scene.

 

The last time Moscow was hit by a confirmed terrorist attack was in August 2004, when a suicide bomber blew herself up outside a city subway station, killing 10 people.

 

Source : http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36077879/ns/world_news-europe/

 

Seems to me that we might get even more stricter security in our subway system. This may be another blow to us railfans

[East New York]

Wow.... That is mad crazy! It's all over CNN.

[Deaks]

More from the BBC:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8592190.stm

[St Louis Car 09]

Wow similar to the London attacks.:eek:

[LRG]

Oh boy. Shane is right. I wonder how the morning commute will be for us here in New York.

[St Louis Car 09]

Oh boy. Shane is right. I wonder how the morning commute will be for us here in New York.

Did NYC step up there security levels yet?

[Shortline Bus]

Did NYC step up there security levels yet?

 

 

No source from me but my gut is i be shocked if Police Chief Kelly does not do so asap after the tragic events in Moscow.

 

 

I think after the London bombings in Summer 2005 the NYPD and other area law enforcement put in the now strandard backpack checks.

 

Dumb question as i just woke up when i wrote this. Anyone claim responsbility yet?:confused:

[2 Train Master]

Damn this is sad & scary.Maybe this was a warning to the U.S from the Taliban.Remember Bin Laden said expect a Terrorist Attack in the next 3-6months.God forbid it the NYC Subway does get bombed in spots it'll most likely be in heavily populated areas & stations(14 St-Union Sq,South Ferry,W4,34 St-Herald Sq & Penn Sta,42nd St-Grand Central to Times Sq,59 St-Columbus)Those are the hot spots.Its scary tho.I hope this doesn't affect us buffs & foamers.

[Dan]

wow :tdown:

[Brighton Local]

This is scary and disturbing..:tdown:

[QM1to6Ave]

Damn. So sensless.

 

I just heard on 1010 Wins that security has been raised in the subways today, and has been all morning. I saw more Transit Cops than usual hanging around 34th-Herald Square this morning, and it was eerily quiet today, though it may have been the bad weather more than anything else keeping people away.

[Shortline Bus]

Damn. So sensless.

 

I just heard on 1010 Wins that security has been raised in the subways today, and has been all morning. I saw more Transit Cops than usual hanging around 34th-Herald Square this morning, and it was eerily quiet today, though it may have been the bad weather more than anything else keeping people away.

 

Not to mention NYC public school kids on spring break as well.

[NX Express]

So it's London...Moscow...what's next?:eek::tdown:

[Shortline Bus]

So it's London...Moscow...what's next?:eek::tdown:

 

Actually NX this is the 2nd time since 2004 that Moscow has a terrorist attack on their Metro Subway.

 

 

And don't forget Madrid subway was bombed from a terror attack as well a few years back.

[NX Express]

I have a feeling a certain city is next in line for bombing...it's known as the capital of the world...the Big Apple...

[INDman]

I doubt this will be a "problem" for railfans for more then a few weeks then everything will slowly go back to normal. If I remember correctly, this is not the first boming on their subway either.

Also, it's not a question of if the NYC subway gets bombed, but just a matter of when it will happen. And sadly it will happen, we a fighting an enemy that has no reguard for the lives of innocent people and they beleive in what they are fighting for so much that they will kill them selfs to further their cause. Every attack that is prevented only makes them more determined to bomb us here.

[Cait Sith]

An update on the story

 

Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- Russian investigators combing two subway stations attacked by female suicide bombers think Chechen rebels may have been behind the rush-hour strike that killed dozens of people.

 

"Our preliminary assessment is that this act of terror was committed by a terrorist group from the North Caucasus region," Alexander Bortnikov of the Federal Security Service said of the investigation at one of the blast sites.

 

"We consider this the most likely scenario, based on investigations conducted at the site of the blast," Bortnikov said. "Fragments of the suicide bombers' body found at the blast, according to preliminary findings, indicate that the bombers were from the North Caucasus region."

 

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the "terrorists" responsible for the Moscow subway attacks Monday "will be destroyed."

 

"We are providing Moscow metro with additional CCTV cameras. Today's events show we should not only continue this work but to make it more effective. Changes in legislation may be necessary."

 

The two explosions that rocked the subway stations in central Moscow during rush hour killed at least 38 people and wounded more than 60 others, spawning widespread public outrage.

 

"It's disgusting," one witness said. "I don't know who did it and what they wanted. Life is so short. How could people commit such terrible acts?"

 

Although the they have yet to claim responsibility, Bortnikov's statement is a strong implication that Chechen rebels fighting for independence were behind the strike.

 

How Chechen rebels threaten Russian stability

 

Thousands have been killed and 500,000 Chechens displaced in the Chechen rebels' almost 20-year conflict with Moscow. The area is in the North Caucasus region of Russian between the Black and Caspian seas.

 

 

The first blast occurred at 7:56 a.m. at Lubyanka subway station, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported on its Web site. The Lubyanka station is near the Kremlin and Federal Security Service headquarters. The Federal Security Service is Russia's intelligence agency.

 

Another blast happened about 40 minutes later at Park Kultury station, on the same train line. Three Moscow hospitals were treating the wounded, the ministry said.

 

 

Yulia Shapovalova of Russia Today TV was at the second station at the time of the blast.

 

"The staff members started urgently evacuating people, so that meant they probably knew about the first blast at the Lubyanka station," she said. "All the people -- a huge crowd of people -- slowly started to move. ... As soon as I got upstairs, I heard the blast."

 

 

"It was a terrorist act carried out by the female suicide bombers," Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said of the first and most lethal explosion, citing the Federal Security Service. "They were specifically timed -- for ... the train was nearing the station -- to make the most damage."

 

Both stations reopened about 5 p.m. Moscow time, according to Veronica Molskaya from the Press Service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry.

 

In St. Petersburg, three metro stations were shut as the result of a bomb scare.

 

Millions of commuters use the Moscow metro system every day. An estimated 500,000 people were riding trains throughout the capital at the time of the attacks. It was unclear when the system would return to normal service, and the incident generated fear among commuters.

 

"I feel scared," one woman said on TV. "I have to walk to get to work, because there is no way I'm going by Metro."

 

The attacks reverberated around the globe.

 

U.S. President Obama condemned the "outrageous acts" and passed along his condolences.

 

"The American people stand united with the people of Russia in opposition to violent extremism and heinous terrorist attacks that demonstrate such disregard for human life," Obama said.

 

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she will offer her condolences to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday in Ottawa, Canada, where the Group of Eight foreign ministers are meeting to plan for the June G8 meeting in Canada.

 

"This brutal assault on innocent civilians is another reminder that terrorism is a threat to peace-loving people everywhere and must be met with unwavering resolve," she said.

 

"Together with our G8 partners, we will discuss how to further strengthen international counter-terrorism coordination and cooperation."

 

New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said police are stepping up security in the New York City subway system.

 

In Washington, Metro, the operator of the city's transit system, said it is expanding security in light of the Moscow attacks. Coincidentally, it had a terror drill this past weekend and is holding another one Monday.

 

Why no subway is safe from terror

 

Amtrak, the national passenger rail network, said there is "no specific threat " to its system, but its police assigned to the FBI's National and Regional Joint Terrorism Task Force "remain informed regarding any potential threats and other security issues."

 

In Atlanta, Georgia, MARTA's police department has heightened security measures throughout the transit system.

 

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "appalled" by the incident and sent condolences to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, according to Britain's Press Association.

 

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack and said he "is confident that the Russian authorities will bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous terrorist attack."

 

Interpol, the international police agency, condemned the attacks and offered help to Russian authorities in the investigation.

 

Interpol's executive director of police services, Jean-Michel Louboutin, called the actions "despicable and senseless attacks targeting the public."

 

Source : http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/03/29/russia.subway.explosion/index.html

[D.J.]

:cry::tdown:

[buswizard]

#1, I have said on other forums that I hate subways (even though there are some I want to ride)

 

#2 There goes my feeling of safety to railfan with a camera!!! :mad:

[FamousNYLover]

Russia Today has more coverage.

http://www.youtube.com/user/RussiaToday#g/u

[St Louis Car 09]

I heard there was another suicide bomb that went off killing 12 today.