2004 Grozny stadium bombing
| 2004 Grozny stadium bombing | |
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| Part of Second Chechen War | |
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| Location | Grozny, Chechnya, Russia |
| Date | 9 May 2004 |
| Deaths | 10 |
Non-fatal injuries | 56 |
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The 2004 Grozny stadium bombing occurred on 9 May 2004 when a bomb exploded in the Dynamo stadium in the Chechen capital, Grozny, killing 10 people including the republic's president Akhmad Kadyrov and another 56 people were wounded. Kadyrov was elected last fall in what was considered by many to be a fraudulent vote. The explosion was caused by a bomb planted inside a concrete pillar and occurred at 10:35am during a parade and concert in Groznyy celebrating the 59th anniversary of the victory of Germany in World War 2. The blast tore a hole in the section designate for dignitaries. It was not clear if the explosion was specifically targeting Kadyrov or whether it would have occurred regardless of his presence, as he was not officially scheduled to be at this event. Khussein Isayev, chairman of the Republic's state council, and Adlan Khasanov, a reported for Reuters, were also killed in the blast. Col. Gen. Valery Baranov, the commander of the Russian military in the northern Caucasus was gravely wounded. Although estimates of total casualties varied, at least ten people were killed and around fifty more injured. These numbers include many civilians and WW2 veterans who were also attending the celebrations. Officials believe that the blast was detonated by remote control and was intentionally installed below the VIP section. The bomb may have been planted some time ago during the recent renovations to the stadium. Preliminary reports suggest that the bomb was equivalent to one ton of TNT. The location of the bomb made it impossible for existing equipment to detect. The type of explosive appeared identical to the type used to blow up the military parade two years ago in the Dagestani city of Kaspiysk. Rescue workers prevented two other blasts in the stadium. They were able to defuse another landmine and an additional explosive device equipped with a timer set to go off 30 minutes after the first explosion.
On May 12, another explosive device was found in the half-ruined Dynamo Stadium. The device consisted of TNT charges and pieces of metal. It was unclear if the device had been planted recently or a long time ago. Rebel leader Shamil Basayev claimed that he was involved in and had organized the blast. The attack may have been intended to sow panic and disorder among the Chechen leadership. Initial investigations were focusing on the security staff at the stadium and the builders who took part in the renovations of the stadium. Investigators believe that insufficient training and organization of the security staff was faulted for allowing the attack to occur. Officials had detained at least five individuals for potential involvement in the attack, including Ibragim Musayev, who was also involved in the hostage-taking raid of the Dubrovka Theatre and the bomb attack near a McDonald's in Moscow. Investigators had also given a more specific list of suspects who were under investigation to the Russian Duma. The Russian appointed Prime Minister, Sergei Abramov will serve as President until new elections are held sometime before September, as stipulated by the republic's constitution. The attack serves a blow to Putin and his strategy for ending the conflict in Chechnya. On August 5, Interfax reported that three suspects had been arrested in connection with the attack, two of whom had already confessed to the crime. The third man was arrested later than the other two and was providing investigators with useful information.