Moscow airport terror attack kills 31, wounds 168

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Moscow airport terror attack kills 31, wounds 168

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MOSCOW – Russian investigators say two Britons are among the more than 30 people

killed in a suicide bombing at Moscow's busiest airport.

Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin has not identified the two

British citizens who died in the explosion at Domodedovo Airport. Nearly 170

people were wounded in Monday's explosion.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's

earlier story is below.

MOSCOW (AP) — A suicide bomber carrying a suitcase walked into Moscow's busiest

airport and set off a huge explosion Monday, killing at least 31 people and

wounding nearly 170, witnesses said.

The international arrivals terminal at Domodedovo Airport was engulfed by smoke

and splattered with body parts after the mid-afternoon terror attack sprayed

shrapnel, screws and ball bearings at passengers and workers in a loosely

guarded area. Hundreds of people were in the area at the time.

President Dmitry Medvedev immediately ordered authorities to beef up security at

Moscow's two other commercial airports and other key transport facilities. He

also canceled plans to fly out Tuesday to Davos, Switzerland, where he aimed to

promote Russia as a profitable investment haven to world business leaders.

Monday's attack was most likely carried out by a suicide bomber and " attempts

were being made to identify him, " Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir

Markin said. The Interfax news agency, citing law enforcement sources, said the

head of the suspected bomber had been found.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, which occurred at

4:32 p.m. (1342GMT). But Chechen militants have claimed responsibility for

previous terror attacks in Moscow, including a double suicide bombing on the

subway in March 2010 that killed 40 people and wounded more than 100.

The attack also called into question Russia's ability to safely host major

international sports events like the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the 2018

World Cup. It was the second time in seven years that terrorists had hit the

Domodedovo airport: In 2004, other suicide bombers penetrated the lax security

there, killing 90 people as they blew up two planes.

Large-scale battles in Chechnya ended years ago, following two devastating wars

between Russia and the republic's separatists, but Islamic militants have

continued to carry out suicide bombings and other attacks. Most of the attacks

have been in Chechnya and other predominantly Muslim provinces in the southern

Caucasus region, but some have targeted Moscow, including its subways, buses and

trains.

In Washington, President Barack Obama condemned the " outrageous act of

terrorism " in Moscow and offered any assistance Russians investigators may want.

Amateur video posted on YouTube showed a pile of bodies on the floor airport

floor, and other bodies scattered around. Luggage lay strewn across the ground

and several small fires burned. A dazed man in a suit pushed a baggage cart

through the carnage.

A man in blood-soaked clothes said he was just a few yards (meters) away from

the explosion and saw a man who may have been the suicide bomber.

" I saw the suitcase, the suitcase was on fire, " said Artyom Zhilenkov, a

35-year-old driver. " So, either the man blew up something, or something went off

on the man's body, or the suitcase went off. "

Zhilenkov said he thought he had been severely injured, but doctors told him was

just coated in other victims' blood.

" The guy standing next to me was torn to pieces, " he said.

Domodedovo Airport spokeswoman Yelena Galanova said 35 people were killed and

scores were injured. The Emergencies Ministry, however, said 31 people were

killed, 74 hospitalized with injuries and 94 were given medical treatment. The

discrepancy could not immediately be explained.

Car rental agent ei Spiridonov, 25, was at his desk when the blast struck

about 100 yards (meters) away.

" The explosion was so strong that it threw me against the wall, " he told The

Associated Press outside the airport. " People were panicking, rushing out of the

hall or looking for their relatives. There were people just lying in blood. "

Yelena Zatserkovnaya, a Lufthansa official, said airport workers used baggage

trolleys to cart out the injured.

" There was lots of blood, severed legs flying around, " she said.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered health officials to make sure all victims

received immediate treatment.

Sergei Lavochkin, who was waiting in the arrivals hall for a friend to arrive

from Cuba, said passengers sprinted out of the terminal and emergency teams

carried those unable to walk.

" I heard a loud bang, saw plastic panels falling down from the ceiling and heard

people screaming. Then people started running away, " Lavochkin told Rossiya 24

television.

Aviation security experts have been warning since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror

attacks that the crowds at many airports present tempting targets to suicide

bombers.

" Airports are by their nature crowded places, with meeters, greeters, commercial

businesses, and so on, " said Philip Baum, the editor of Aviation Security

International, a London-based publication dedicated to security issues.

Domodedovo was briefly closed to air traffic immediately after the blast, but

soon reopened. Hours later, passengers arriving for their flights lined up

outside waiting to pass through metal detectors that had been installed at all

entrances.

Built in 1964, Domodedovo is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) southeast of

Moscow and is the largest of the three major airports that serve the Russian

capital, handling over 22 million people last year. It is generally regarded as

Moscow's most up-to-date airport, but its security procedures have been called

into question.

In 2004, two suicide bombers were able to board planes at Domodedovo by buying

tickets illegally from airport personnel. The female bombers blew themselves up

in mid-air, killing all 90 people aboard the two flights.

Some 77 airlines now offer regular flights to Domodedovo, serving 241

international and national routes, according to airport's website.

The airport insists that security is one of its top priorities, claiming on its

website that its " cutting-edge operations technology guarantees the safety of

passengers' and guests' lives. "

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he was " deeply disturbed " by

the terror attack.

" I strongly condemn it, " he said on Twitter. " NATO and Russia stand together in

the fight against terrorism. "

It was not clear late Monday if Medvedev would still give the opening address

Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter was in St. sburg over the weekend to formally

award Russia the 2018 World Cup. Prior to the signing, Putin assured him that

FIFA had made the right choice.

_____

AP writers Lynn Berry, Vladimir Isachenkov and Nowak in Moscow and Raphael

G. Satter in London contributed to this report.