Chechen rebel claims responsibility for Moscow bombing

A Chechen rebel leader has claimed responsibility for last month’s bombing at Moscow’s main airport that killed 36 people and injured more than 100.

8 February 2011, 12:00am

1 min read

The rebel leader of the Caucasus Emirates, Doku Umarov, posted a video on the Kavkaz Centre website claiming responsibility for the January 24 suicide attack at Domodedovo airport.

“This operation was carried out on my order,” Umarov said. He added that he was acting in the name of Allah and the aim of the attack was to set up an independent Islamic state in the North Caucasus.

Umarov also said it was to revenge Russian crimes in the region and underlined the bombs were planted in the international arrivals hall to kill as many foreigners as possible.

Rights activists have long been criticising tactics in raids against militants in the North Caucasus for being overly brutal and targeting civilians as well as suspects.

According to media reports, last week Umarov had vowed to cause mayhem in Russia this year: “God willing we will make this year a year of blood and tears for you.”

“You better come to your senses and think,” he said.

Umarov stressed the attack would stop after Russia withdrew from the region, but government has repeatedly said giving up the Caucasus and negotiating with “terrorists” is not an option.

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Only the sick minded use religion to promote murder in God's name. These morons are nothing but mass murderers who use God as an excuse.

Keith Goodlip •

Any religion that kills in the name of it's god is an affront to that religion. But then history amply demonstrates that it is not just the Muslims who carry out these obscenities, Christians, too, have been doing it for centuries.