Monday, January 24, 2011
2:15pm
Moscow Airport Blast Kills 29
Summary: On Monday, January 24, 2011, at 4:37 p.m. local time, a suicide bomber detonated an explosion at an unsecured section of Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport, Russia’s largest airport. This explosion is responsible for killing 29 people. In addition to those that were killed, 50 people were hospitalized and 35 were listed in critical condition. The bomb was detonated in a hall where arriving international passengers would appear after leaving customs. It was deduced that the bomb did not fly into Moscow by plane; it was brought into the airport from outside. The area that the bomb was detonated is considered to be outside the secure zone. In light of the events that took place today, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev postponed his trip to Switzerland where he was supposed to give the opening address the Davos World Economic Forum. Medvedev criticized officials for not pursuing security precautions vigorously enough. Russian police believe that the bomb was composed of about 15 pounds of explosive. Cell phone jamming devices were activated in order to decrease the risk of another explosion from a possible second bomb. As a result of the explosion, 50 ambulances were dispatched to the scene as well as all flights were diverted to Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports.
Analysis: I saw this story soon after it was posted, and I decided that there was no better topic to write about for my blog post. This is a clear cut article dealing with global terrorism. The events that took place in Russia today are upsetting; however, the outcome could have been much more momentous. I absolutely have to agree with President Medvedev’s criticisms of the officials because later in the article, it says that in 2004, female suicide bombers had brought down two planes. However, these females had gained entry to the planes by bribing their way on. This just goes to show how lax security was in 2004, but it is hard to say if much has changed since then. If the bomb was not brought to Moscow aboard an airplane (thankfully) then the bomb/bomber walked in through the door and just waited for the best time to strike. If this is the case, perhaps airports need to enhance their security throughout all areas of an airport.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/24/AR2011012401872.html?hpid=topnews
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