Overview
- Officials say a homemade explosive detonated near the entrance to the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square on the evening of Aug. 1, killing three people and injuring between 15 and 21 others.
- Authorities identified the dead as the woman carrying the device, a security guard who stopped her, and a restaurant patron and have sealed the scene for forensic work and a criminal probe.
- Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee has classified the blast as a bombing and investigators are examining whether the device was triggered remotely or whether the carrier knew what she was carrying.
- The restaurant was closed to the public for a private function at the time and staff said they were unharmed, while officials have not released names, a motive, or any claim of responsibility.
- The attack struck a high-profile central Moscow location and could lead to heightened security measures and wider investigations as authorities seek to establish who planned and executed the bombing.