KABUL (Pajhwok): A homemade bomb carried by a woman killed three people and injured at least 21 others in an explosion near a restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, Russian authorities said.
Reuters reported that the explosion occurred shortly before 8pm local time near an Italian restaurant located in one of Moscow’s seven Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya Square.
Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said an unidentified woman had tried to enter the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard, according to the state-run RIA news agency.
The committee said the woman, the security guard and a customer at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant were killed in the blast.
Police said the injured sustained wounds of varying severity.
RIA released footage showing heavily armed law enforcement officers at the scene, which had been cordoned off from the public.
The incident comes amid heightened security concerns in Russia following a series of assassinations and attempted killings that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.
Russia’s FSB security service said earlier this year that authorities would strengthen protection for senior military officials following the incidents.
The Kommersant newspaper, citing its own sources, reported that the bomb may have been intended to kill or injure people sitting on the restaurant’s outdoor summer terrace.
The restaurant’s website said the venue had been closed on Saturday for a private event.
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