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Updated 10.05am
THE DEATH TOLL from yesterday’s terror attack on the metro in St Petersburg, Russia has risen to 14 people.
An explosion, believed to have been set off by a male suicide attacker after boarding a train, rocked through a metro station leaving dozens more injured.
Authorities said that they had also defused a bomb at a second metro station.
Russia’s investigate committee had said it was probing an “act of terror”, but said it was looking into all possible causes of the blast.
Later, the Interfax news agency later cited unspecified sources as saying police suspected the blast was caused by a suicide bomber linked to radical Islamists.
The agency said authorities believe the suspect, a 23-year old who came from ex-Soviet Central Asia and was linked to radical Islamist groups, carried the explosive device onto the train in a rucksack.
The security services in the central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan have said that the attacker was from the country.
“The suicide bomber in the Saint Petersburg metro was a Kyrgyz national Akbarjon Djalilov… born in 1995,” a spokesman for the country’s security services told AFP.
Asked about the report, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn’t comment, saying it’s up to law enforcement agencies to comment on details of the probe.
Amateur video broadcast by Russian TV showed people lying on the platform of the Technological Institute station, and others bleeding and weeping just after the damaged train pulled in.
“Everything was covered in smoke. There were a lot of firefighters,” Maria Smirnova, a student on a train behind the one affected by the blast, told independent TV station Dozhd.
The entire St Petersburg metro system was shut down and evacuated, but partial service resumed after about six hours.
Some residents of St Petersburg, a city of five million people, responded with both dismay and determination.
“They won’t succeed in breaking up our country. We are all citizens of one country despite various political views and religious beliefs,” said 24-year-old Alexander Malikov, who brought flowers and candles to an improvised memorial outside one of the stations.
Three days of mourning have been announced for the city.
With reporting from the Associated Press and AFP
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I wish news agency’s would stop using the word ‘terror’ so willing. This was an attack pure and simple, you want terror go to a war zone. To use the word terror in every article lessens it’s value and desensitize it’s true meaning.
@Johnny Kelly: he just said what they should call it. An attack.
@Johnny Kelly: Ya it was 11 people which was really terrible but it was an attack none the less. In the month of March Syrian Humanitarian organisation estimate 641 people died. Now that is terror. Just because Sky news stick the word “terror” up ticker tape doesn’t mean it’s the worst thing that ever happened in the world. There is a world of news that doesn’t get the coverage that it should because it’s not sexy enough. Whether we believe it or not the sole existence of all news agencies is to sell advertising so they pick the stories that will get the most rating. I’m not having a rant, I just believe there needs to be some perspective added to these stories.
@Joshua Walsh: you didn’t say sky news used the word terror- sure that’s a different thing altogether. If it happened on the dart – we would consider it terror and rightly so. Terror is a noun and not used to compare different situations.
@Joshua Walsh: This was an attack, yes, a terrorist attack, so the word terror is rightly used.
@Joshua Walsh: I don’t know but someone bombing a public place with purpose of advancing their political or religious ideology sounds pretty much like terrorism to me.
So American, French and British airforces are carrying out ‘terror’ attacks too then? ‘Terrorist’ could be used to describe any attack that erm . . . causes terror . . . so yes, lets describe all military activities as such.
But generally, in the western media and culture, nothing we do is ‘terrorist’ in nature but do we ever ask those on the receiving end how they perceive it?
@Joshua Walsh:
It was Islamic terror.. again.
@Joshua Walsh: Look at the photos and videos and it was a scene of terror,see how you would feel if it was your family or friends or even you there
@Joshua Walsh: I wish Islamists would stop slaughtering people. You can’t always get what you want.
I wonder what reaction Putin will have to this, if it turns out to be isis. Something tells me, he won’t take it lying down.
@Derek o keeffe: good chance we won’t find out who’s actually responsible because putin will skew info to attack or pursue his own interests…
@Gerald O’Dwyer: Sure spin it off on Putin and “his own interests” its a suicide bomber who exactly do you think it was ha??
@Gerald O’Dwyer:
Quadruple facepalm moment.
@Derek o keeffe: It was only a matter of when not if something was going to happen. Reap what you Sow.
@Mick Jordan: It almost sounds as if you condone it. Whataboutry has no place in this attack. It was a murderous attack pure an simple. Those dead and injured did not kill anyone and did not deserve this.
@Just Me: Condone no. Expected it yes. It was inevitable after Russia’s intervention in Syria. The Middle East is a quagmire for any nation to get involved in. The US and the Western Allies learnt the hard way. Apparently the Russians didn’t learn from Western mistakes.
@Just Me: Lots of dead and injured in the Middle East thanks to the Russians, Americans, British etc that never did anything to deserve it either. If those countries were bombing Ireland and some fanatical nutcase blew himself up in a public place in one of them what would we say? Motivated by ideology or something? Not condoning anything, just sayin’ . . .
@Mick Jordan: What mistakes? That was policy . . .
@Neil Mcdonough: Getting involved in the ME at all. The culture itself is utterly alien, the politics are indecipherable and the religious beliefs….we have all seen the results.
@Mick Jordan: Jeez Mick, are you being obtuse or what? Having their countries destroyed by the Americans, British and Russians has nothing got to do with anything? No, it’s their religion and culture that’s the problem.
I despair for the future if educated Europeans can be so ignorant . . .
Yup, I give up . . . time to go . . .
@Neil Mcdonough: You are just looking for an argument Neil. One I couldn’t be bothered to give you.
If Putin thought he could stick his toe in the mess that is the Middle East and not have some form of backlash from Islamists within and without. Apart from the Muslim dominated republic’s within Russia like Chechnya or Dagistan there are also the Central Asian Countries like Uzbekistan at bordering Russia. The US has the benefit of not having Muslim dominated States within the Union nor Muslim dominated neighbouring countries. Which offers it a modicum of protection.
@Mick Jordan: And your point is?
@Just Me: read the post again. If you can’t determine the meaning from it I would only be wasting my time trying to explain it.
@Mick Jordan: Took your advise and read your post again and am as confused now as I was then. So I will ask again, ( and your point is.)
@Mick Jordan: Who created, or at least contributed enormously to, ‘the mess that is the Middle East’ ? Islamists and terrorists are useful labels for anyone now who responds to military activity in their region with these isolated ‘attacks’ and those labels ensure we don’t need to look any deeper.
@Neil Mcdonough:The ME has been a mess for around 1500 years. Outsiders stick their oar in now and again, get their fingers burnt and leave but still don’t learn to let them butcher each other. Syria, Iraq, Yemen are all part of the same war that has been on going since Muhammad’s death and the great split.
@Mick Jordan: Total rubbish. Unbelievable! Europe and all it’s internecine and external wars has been exactly the same only far far more destructive for the world. The west has been meddling in the ME to ensure instability and the supply of petrol. Where have we ever intervened in the world that hasn’t been of economic and strategic interest to us? Really, you need to educate yourself . . .
@Neil Mcdonough: What’s the difference? No single European conflict has lasted 1500 years with still no clear side seeming to be winning. What Europe has endured are but minor squabbles compared to the Middle East’ s religious war.
@Mick Jordan: Napoleonic wars, 1st and 2nd ww, 100y war, etc etc minor squabbles? With the rise of right-wing nationalism, do you really think Europe has moved into some enlightened age? History is not your strong point is it . . .
@Mick Jordan:
Russian forces, at the invite of Syria, went there to rid the place of IS and Western back Jihadist head hackers, and are doing a fine job of it too.. Is that a bad thing??
@Lepanto: Think about it for 30 seconds. Which side of the Islamic conflict is currently ruling in Syria and what side of that conflict do the majority belong. Now flip over to Iraq. What side did Saddam belong and who were the majority. Yemen is fairly evenly split. Now this division has been on going for 1500 years. And will most likely carry on for at least another 1500 years unless something very dramatic happens to change the dynamics. Where one side dominated the other they will try destroy them utterly because both sides view each other as heretics. And when we (as they would call us Kaffiers) try getting involved it becomes a three way fight. But the fight with us is always going to be nothing more than a distraction to the real fight with each other.
@Lepanto: And as for the Russians. They no more give a shit about IS than the Man on the Moon. They sat on their hands for nearly 3 years while the SAA were getting beaten. And only after their Naval Base came under direct threat that they chose to act. And once they got involved, like quicksand they found that it has become very difficult to get themselves out of it. Just like the US did in Iraq.
@Mick Jordan:
True the Shia and Sunni have been at each others throats since the foundation of Islam, then we have the Sufi and Ahamadi sects who are again persecuted by Shia and Sunni, all of the above persecute the Jews and Christians, since the late 1930s up to 900.000 Jews have been expelled from Muslim ME countries… Muslims and Islam need to take a good look at themselves and see where they are heading, as it is its not looking good, Islam needs a major reformation and only Muslims who are willing can do this.
@Mick Jordan: Its true the factions are at war for hundreds of years. Its only after the meddling of the west that the whole thing overflowed into Europe. Arming the moderate terrorists in Syria was a huge mistake. Actually it wasn’t a mistake, it was intentional to destabilise the region further and install another pro western junta. Russia took them on and has now faced retaliation.
@Kieran Woods:
https://www.theworldweekly.com/reader/view/magazine/2015-01-22/the-battle-for-islam/3090/
@Lepanto: There in lays the difficulty with Religious Wars. To either side the Non Believers are to be treated with contempt. But far worse are the Heretics on the opposing side. For the religious fanatic there can be no forgiveness for the Heretic. And so it becomes a conflict of annihilation. The Non Believers can be given a choice to convert or die.
And that would be the aim of the Islamic Caliphate if it ever came into being. This conflict within Islam is going to continue indefinitely. Mainly in the ME as that is where the Majority of the Shia side reside.
@Kieran Woods: We have been involving ourselves in the ME since the First Crusade a thousand years ago. Which in turn brought the Ottoman Turks into Europe. And after they were mainly purged from Central Europe things settled down until the WW1 when the Europen powers once again chose interfere in the ME. And then through WWII and after when the US became a Super Power the Cold War to the present day. Russia’s hands are no cleaner than the Western Allies in the ME. But during all that time there has and always will be they Sunni-Shia conflict. Instead of swords and spears they now have tanks and aircraft to butcher each other.
@Neil Mcdonough:
Where do the Islamists and Islamic terrorists get their mandate from?? It’s quite a simple answer.
Canada just recently passes an ‘anti Islamophobia’ law M103, basically a blasphemy law in line with Sharia law… Are you ok with this?
https://www.google.ie/amp/www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/canada-parliament-anti-islamophobia-motion-pass-muslim-irqa-khalid-david-anderson-racism-faith-a7647851.html%3Famp
–
A Polish MP critical of Sharia law being discussed at an EU council, you thoughts?
Take a look at @V_of_Europe’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/V_of_Europe/status/848248991754199043?s=09
It is not just important to establish who commits these awful atrocities but precisely why. Why is there so much alienation and hatred? Think about cause and effect. Analyse the contributory factors.
@Tony Daly: No Tony, let’s just blame Islam. Much simpler :-(
@Tony Daly: ISLAM. Open Borders guy.
No sign of Neal blaming Putin today.
You are an absolute clown, Neal.
@George Roche: What a ridiculuous comment. Show some respect.
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