GROZNY, Russia, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Two suicide bombing attacks killed nine people and injured 20 others in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, an official said.
Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev said Wednesday those killed in the Tuesday night blasts, which came during the end of celebrations marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, included seven police officers, RIA Novosti reported. Also killed were one member of the Emergencies Ministry and a civilian, Nurgaliyev said.
The first explosion occurred when a man blew himself up as police attempted to detain him near a local parliament building, and the second came 30 minutes later. RIA Novosti said there were also reports of a third explosion.
The 20 people injured included 16 police officers, a member of the Investigative Committee and three civilians.
The bombs detonated in the two blasts were the equivalent of 3 kilograms of dynamite, a spokesman for Russia's Investigative Committee said.
Russia, whose forces have fought two wars in Chechnya since the fall of the Soviet Union, has declared victory over a Muslim-led insurgency there, and violence has beset neighboring Ingushetia and Dagestan.
