Belarus seeks answers over deadly metro bombing

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Belarus seeks answers over deadly metro bombing

By Valery Kalinovsky (AFP) – 2 hours ago

MINSK — Belarus on Tuesday sought to identify the perpetrators behind the

bombing on the Minsk metro that killed 12 and wounded 150, the first major

apparent act of terror in its post-Soviet history.

The explosion at a busy metro station in the heart of the Belarussian capital

near the headquarters of President Lukashenko stunned a city which has

never seen attacks like those suffered in neighbouring Russia.

Authorities described the attack as an act of terror and Lukashenko implied that

foreign forces may be responsible. But officials seemed for the moment at a loss

to explain who was behind the attack.

" As of 2:30 local time (23:30 GMT), the number of dead reached 12 people, six of

whom have been identified, " the country's security service, still known by its

Soviet acronymn KGB, said in a statement, raising a previous toll of 11.

A total of 149 people needed medical treatment, 22 of whom are in a serious

condition, and 30 of whom have injuries of medium severity, the KGB statement

said.

Health Minister Vasily Zharko said that most of the injured had shrapnel wounds

or had been thrown by the force of the blast late Monday, while the worst

injured had limbs torn off.

The Prosecutor-General's office has opened a criminal investigation into an act

of terrorism, the KGB statement said.

An explosive device packed with ball bearings and with a force equivalent to

five to seven kilograms of TNT, was apparently hidden under a bench on the

platform of the metro station, interior minister Anatoly Kuleshov said.

At the time of the explosion, around 300 people were in the Oktyabrskaya station

and another train was approaching in the opposite direction, which was ordered

to run through without stopping, Kuleshov said.

The blast came amid rising political tensions in the country following

Lukashenko's controversial re-election on December 19, which sparked a massive

opposition protest and a brutal crackdown on government critics.

Belarus is also enduring severe economic crisis that has seen the government

carry out a partial currency devaluation to preserve rapidly dwindling foreign

currency reserves.

Speaking at a meeting with the KGB service after the blast, Lukashenko took the

investigation under his personal control and promised tough new security

measures.

" Guys, we have been presented with a serious challenge. We need an adequate

response -- and it must be found, " the strongman leader said.

" I warned you that they won't let us live a calm life. Who are they? I ask you

to hurry to answer that question, " Lukashenko said, urging the security forces

to " chop off the hands of everyone you find harbouring explosives. "

Lukashenko -- a leader who was once dubbed Europe's last dictator by the United

States and enjoys friendly relations with Iran -- said he could not rule out a

foreign hand in the attacks.

" I do not rule out that this is a present from outside but we must look at home

too, " he said.

Video recordings from the scene of the blast were being removed and would be

examined by investigators, the president's press service said in a statement.

The KGB security service set up an emergency operations centre and experts from

Russia's FSB security service were expected to arrive Tuesday, along with

Russian medics experienced in dealing with injuries from explosions.

The interior minister said that all means of transport arriving and leaving the

country were being searched and that security had been heightened at crowded

places including rail stations and airports.

Belarus saw bomb blasts in 2005 in its western city of Vitebsk and in 2008 in

Minsk, at a concert attended by Lukashenko. Both explosions, blamed on the

nationalist fringe, wounded around 50 people but did not cause fatalities.

On March 29, 2010, 40 people were killed and dozens wounded by two female

suicide bombers during the morning rush hour on the Moscow metro and 37 were

killed in an attack on the Russian capital's main airport this year.

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