A captured militant reported impending explosions in Moscow..
A captured militant reported impending explosions in Moscow
Source — «Komsomolskaya Pravda», May 11, 2007
Umar Batukaev has been arrested on charges of preparing a terrorist attack and storing weapons and ammunition.
Three Caucasians detained on suspicion of involvement in organizing the terrorist attack have been released. Another has been arrested
FSB officers have found out that the two Ingush and a Chechen detained in the capital (they were suspected of organizing a terrorist attack on Victory Day) were not involved in preparing the explosions. The young men have been released. Another of those detained, Chechen Umar Batukaev, has been arrested.
Let us recall that the “seven” laced with explosives, the color of “moray eel,” was found near house No. 26/44 on Profsoyuznaya Street on Tuesday. The area was immediately cordoned off, and residents of nearby houses were evicted to school No. 584 (we reported on this).
The sappers found an AKSU assault rifle and a Kenwood radio-telephone in the trunk of the car, from which detonating cords with 4 detonators were pulled into the passenger compartment. It would have been enough to call it from any mobile phone, and an explosion would have occurred. The back seat of the car was removed, and in its place an explosive device similar to an MON anti-personnel mine was planted, stuffed with iron balls with a diameter of 1 to 10 millimeters. A homemade «khattabka» grenade was lying near the gear shift lever, the same ones were used during the hijacking of the Nord-Ost musical.
If the car-bomb had exploded, at least the central part of house 26/44 would have collapsed (and if instead of this «Stalinist» house there was a standard five-story building — it would have simply been blown away!), the shrapnel would have cut everything around within a radius of half a kilometer.
As KP has learned, the special services received information about the preparation of a terrorist attack on Victory Day the day before. It was reported that four mined cars had arrived in the capital. After the “seven” was found on Profsoyuznaya, information appeared that another car bomb had been found nearby. But the report was not confirmed. Soon after the demining began, four suspects in the preparation of the explosion were detained: Ingush Magomed Oziev and Ruslan Esmurziev and Chechens Umar Batukaev and Adam Damkhazhiev (they all live in the capital).
The radio was the main
component of a bomb detonator.
According to relatives of 26-year-old Magomed, the day before the mother of his friend Lors Khamiyev approached him (he was a witness in the case of the explosion in Moscow McDonald's in October 2002. And about a week ago he was detained in Chechnya — according to operational information, he could be preparing terrorist attacks in the capital using radio-controlled bombs).
— On the phone, Lors' mother asked Magomed to find a buyer for her son's car, which was in Moscow, — Oziev's relatives say. — Not this «seven», but another «Zhiguli». She said that Lors had some problems with the law and they needed money.
According to relatives, Oziev offered to buy a car for his friend, former policeman Ruslan Esmurziev. The guys invited two more friends — Batukaev and Damkhazhiev — to look at the car. And they agreed to meet on Tuesday in the courtyard of a house on Krzhizhanovsky Street, not far from Profsoyuznaya (by that time, a mined “seven” had already been found there). Batukaev and Damkhazhiev arrived first.
— They were apparently being followed, — Oziev’s relatives recall. — And when Magomed and Ruslan showed up, the pursuers showed their FSB documents and took them away.
We managed to talk to Magomed after his release. According to him, events developed differently.
—I spoke to Lors Khamiyev's mother on the phone when I found out he had been detained,— Magomed says. —I asked how I could help them. But I wasn't going to sell his car. And we ended up in the Profsoyuznaya area by chance, —it was just more convenient to meet there.
The diagram uses a photo taken from space.
Oziev, Esmurziev and Damkhazhiev were released on May 9. And Umar Batukaev was arrested by the Lefortovo Court on Thursday for 30 days on charges of preparing a terrorist attack and storing weapons and ammunition. Another detainee (he was caught later) was also arrested on the same day — Ruslan Musaev, a relative of Lors Khamiev.
Kirill ALMAKAEV
Elena SHEREMETOVA
A major terrorist attack has been prevented in Moscow
Source — «Komsomolskaya Pravda» 10 May 2007
FSB officers defused an explosive device with the help of a robot (center)
Two cars loaded with explosives were found. Two suspects were detained. Residents of nearby houses were evacuated
The Moray-colored «Seven» abandoned near house No. 26/44 on Profsoyuznaya Street was discovered on Tuesday morning. Sappers and dog handlers with dogs were urgently called to the scene, examined the car and determined that the car was literally stuffed with explosives. Its total weight, according to preliminary data, was about 14 kilograms. In the trunk of the car (it was opened by a robot), they found a machine gun and computer system units, from which wires ran into the interior.
As soon as the presence of explosives was confirmed, rescuers and police officers urgently evacuated the residents of the nearest eight-story building. The frightened people were placed in the building of neighboring school No. 584.
— At first, when a cordon was put up, we were told that they were filming a movie, — say residents of house No. 26/44. — Then they warned that they would be evacuated for a long time, those who were at work or out for a walk were not allowed back home. Everyone was taken to school.
Soon, explosive experts began to defuse the car. The «seven» was shot with a water cannon (there were seven shots in total). Then, with the help of a robot, they destroyed the car's doors (under their lining, according to some reports, many screws and nails were found) and carefully removed the explosive device piece by piece.
— The car had to be dismantled, — an informed source told KP. – It turned out that the back seat had been removed, and an explosive device (presumably remote-controlled) similar to the MON-50 anti-personnel mine, but more powerful, had been installed in its place. Explosives were also contained in the system units that were found in the trunk.
Operational work on Profsoyuznaya continued on Victory Day. In the morning, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov arrived at the scene of the emergency to assess the situation
As it became known to “KP”, information about a major terrorist attack being prepared in the capital during the Victory Day celebration was received by the special services the day before. According to our source, it was reported that four mined cars arrived in Moscow. Law enforcement officers immediately began searching, and the first to find was that very “seven” on Profsoyuznaya.
Two young men have already been detained on suspicion of organizing the terrorist attack: 26-year-old native of Dagestan Magomed Oziev and 29-year-old native of Grozny Adani Damkhazhiev. The special services have already established that the found “seven” was sold by proxy three years ago. Now its “history” after the sale is being established.
Some time later, another mined car was found in the Profsoyuznaya area. Specialists are currently working on the scene. Two more “bombs on wheels” that presumably arrived in the capital have not yet been found.
By the way, a similar car filled with explosives has already been found in Dagestan.
Photo by Leonid VALEEV.
Kirill ALMAKAEV
Elena SHEREMETOVA