Putin vows to drag out terrorists from sewer
Source: Agencies |
March 31, 2010, Wednesday
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VLADIMIR Putin vowed yesterday to "drag out of the sewer" the masterminds of the twin suicide bombing of the Moscow subway system that killed 39 people and left scores wounded.
The powerful prime minister spoke as Russia mourned the dead from Monday's attacks; teary passengers lit candles and left carnations at both of the central stations that were hit.
The blasts shocked a country that had grown accustomed to such violence being confined to a restive southern corner - and marked the return of terrorism to the everyday lives of Muscovites after a six-year break.
As president, Putin consolidated control in the wake of the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis by abolishing the election of regional governors, and came to power in 1999 promising a strong crackdown on rebels in Russia's North Caucasus.
Putin said on television yesterday he is sure the organizers of Monday's attacks by two women will be found.
"We know that they are lying low, but it is already a matter of the pride of law enforcement agencies to drag them out of the sewer and into broad daylight," he said.
Many have speculated that the blasts - blamed on Muslim extremists from the Caucasus region, which includes Chechnya - were retaliation for the recent killing of separatist leaders in the area by Russian police. No claims of responsibility have been made.
The city remained on edge yesterday, even as people began to commute on the subway again. "I feel the tension on the metro. Nobody's smiling or laughing," said university student Alina Tsaritova, not far from the Lubyanka station, one of the targets.
The female suicide bombers detonated belts of explosives during the morning rush-hour at the stations.
Five people remained in critical condition out of 71 hospitalized after the blasts, city health department official Andrei Seltsovsky told the Rossiya-24 state news channel. Emergency officials said later yesterday that five bodies remained unidentified.
Some commuters said yesterday they would try and block the events out of their mind completely.
"We have to live with this, not to think about it, especially when we're underground," said Tatyana Yerofeyeva, a Muscovite in her early 50s.
As public outrage swells, the upper house of parliament is proposing bringing back the death penalty for such crimes, a lawmaker was quoted as saying. "This is our reaction to yesterday's tragic events," Anatoly Kyskov, the Federation Council's legal committee chairman, said in comments carried by state news agency RIA Novosti.
President Dmitry Medvedev called on chairmen from the Supreme Court and the High Court of Arbitration to propose ways to "perfect" terrorism laws.
Russia announced a moratorium on capital punishment when it joined the Council of Europe in 1996 and pledged to abolish it, but has not done so.
The powerful prime minister spoke as Russia mourned the dead from Monday's attacks; teary passengers lit candles and left carnations at both of the central stations that were hit.
The blasts shocked a country that had grown accustomed to such violence being confined to a restive southern corner - and marked the return of terrorism to the everyday lives of Muscovites after a six-year break.
As president, Putin consolidated control in the wake of the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis by abolishing the election of regional governors, and came to power in 1999 promising a strong crackdown on rebels in Russia's North Caucasus.
Putin said on television yesterday he is sure the organizers of Monday's attacks by two women will be found.
"We know that they are lying low, but it is already a matter of the pride of law enforcement agencies to drag them out of the sewer and into broad daylight," he said.
Many have speculated that the blasts - blamed on Muslim extremists from the Caucasus region, which includes Chechnya - were retaliation for the recent killing of separatist leaders in the area by Russian police. No claims of responsibility have been made.
The city remained on edge yesterday, even as people began to commute on the subway again. "I feel the tension on the metro. Nobody's smiling or laughing," said university student Alina Tsaritova, not far from the Lubyanka station, one of the targets.
The female suicide bombers detonated belts of explosives during the morning rush-hour at the stations.
Five people remained in critical condition out of 71 hospitalized after the blasts, city health department official Andrei Seltsovsky told the Rossiya-24 state news channel. Emergency officials said later yesterday that five bodies remained unidentified.
Some commuters said yesterday they would try and block the events out of their mind completely.
"We have to live with this, not to think about it, especially when we're underground," said Tatyana Yerofeyeva, a Muscovite in her early 50s.
As public outrage swells, the upper house of parliament is proposing bringing back the death penalty for such crimes, a lawmaker was quoted as saying. "This is our reaction to yesterday's tragic events," Anatoly Kyskov, the Federation Council's legal committee chairman, said in comments carried by state news agency RIA Novosti.
President Dmitry Medvedev called on chairmen from the Supreme Court and the High Court of Arbitration to propose ways to "perfect" terrorism laws.
Russia announced a moratorium on capital punishment when it joined the Council of Europe in 1996 and pledged to abolish it, but has not done so.
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