By Lauren Peterson
By Lauren Peterson
Rabat – At least 13 shoppers were injured during an explosion in a supermarket in St. Petersburg at around 6:45 p.m local time Wednesday. The attack follows the foiling of attacks planned earlier this month by Russian Federal Security Service’s (FSB) and its arrest of seven suspected Islamic extremists on December 15.
According to Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko, the bomb responsible for the explosion was homemade and filled with 200 grams of explosives and scrap metal. Russian media outlets reported that the bomb was placed in a cubby for shoppers to leave their possessions. Russia’s National Antiterrorism Committee (NAK) is currently pursuing a criminal investigation into the explosion.
No one has yet taken credit for the bombing, although Russia’s national anti-terrorism committee has stated that it is currently searching for potential suspects.
While speaking at the Kremlin Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the blast an act of terrorism, briefly mentioning the FSB’s thwarting of planned attacks earlier this month. The president further authorized Russian law enforcement to, when facing such attacks, “act decisively, do not take prisoners, eliminate the bandits on the spot.”
Putin warned that the resulting influx of returning Russian ISIS fighters after the group’s disbandment earlier this year would put the country at greater risk of these sort of attacks.
In response to the attack, and in preparation to host the 2018 World Cup soccer championships in June 2018, Russian authorities have taken measures to increase security throughout the city.
