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Chechen leader believes Doku Umarov behind Grozny blasts

Chechnya President Ramzan Kadyrov believes that leader of North Caucasus terrorists Doku Umarov is behind the latest blasts in Grozny

MOSCOW, August 31 (Itar-Tass) — Chechnya President Ramzan Kadyrov believes that leader of North Caucasus terrorists Doku Umarov is behind the latest blasts in Grozny.

"The perpetrators of the act of terror were on the federal wanted list," Kadyrov told Russia 24 news channel on Wednesday, "they've shown again that they are not Muslims and are not human."

The terrorist attack committed on the day of celebrating the sacred holiday of Uraza Bayram points out that it is necessary to find and shoot the bandits and those who sympathize with them, he said.

The families of the killed people are entitled to 500,000 roubles, and the injured will receive 100,000 roubles each.

According to Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin, the aggregate yield of the bombs made up 3 kilograms of TNT.

Two suicide bombers have already been identified.

"One of them is Magamed Dashayev, 22, a native of Urus Martan, and the other is resident of the village of Starye Atagi, student of the Oil Institute Adlan Khamidov, aged 21," Markin told Tass.

The explosions occurred in Bogdan Khmelnitsky Street on Tuesday evening. Seven people were killed outright, and another 23 were injured. Several hours later, the eighth victim died in hospital despite the provided medical assistance.

The press service of the Chechen leader reported that there were six police officers, one employee of the Emergency Situations Ministry and one local resident among the fatalities.

"Twenty-two people remain in hospitals; of those, five are in a critical condition," the press service said.

According to Markin, an SK investigator was injured in one of the explosions. He was not far from the scene when he was returning from work, and was injured in a new explosion when he tried to render assistance to victims, he said.

Chechen police said there had been three explosions. The first bomb was set off, when a police patrol tried to detain a suspicious man. When more police and local residents gathered at the scene, another two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the crowd.

The criminal case was opened under five articles of Russia's Criminal Code: "attempted murder of law-enforcement personnel," "murder," "attempted murder," "Illegal turnover of weapons," and "illegal manufacturing of weapons."

The case will be handled by the SK's department for the North Caucasus Federal District.

Meanwhile, Chechnya police chief Ruslan Alkhanov said a terrorist attack was prevented thanks to citizens' vigilance during Uraza Bayram celebrations and on September 1.

"Police were informed on Tuesday evening about suspicious gun-toting persons clad in fatigues. The district was cordoned off, and police launched a search. The bandits tried to break through the police cordon and set off a bomb," Alkhanov told a conference at the Chechen Interior Ministry via video link on Wednesday.

Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev, in comments on the blasts, said "this act of terror indicates that we must have information in advance and carry out a range of measures in order to be able to keep law-enforcement personnel alive."

The situation in the North Caucasus is not easy. "We have to envision regimes of searches aimed at intercepting and exposing the persons who engage in shootings and demolitions aimed at law-enforcers, and pay attention to the routes of their movement," the minister said.

Nurgaliyev also demanded effective measures to ensure the safety of law-enforcement personnel.

On Wednesday, reports said several persons injured in the Grozny explosions would be flown to Moscow for treatment.

It is planned to transport to Moscow two police officers. Another two police might be sent to the Russian capital for treatment. It will depend on whether the condition of their health permits transportation, an official said.