Terrorist act thwarted in Grozny

Terrorists wanted to use a KAMAZ truck laden with 1.2 tons of explosives for blowing up a government or a state institution building in Grozny. FSB operatives stopped that truck, which was heading for the Sernovodskaya stanitsa (Cossack village).

Two female suicide bombers were to have boarded the truck there, subsequently exploding it in the Chechen capital.

This terrorist act could have taken place in some other Russian region because several fake license plates were found inside the truck, a spokesman for the regional command center for supervising the North Caucasian counter-terrorist operation noted.

Talking to RIA Novosti, Chechen interior minister Ruslan Alkhanov noted that the police had identified three out of four terrorists, who had been killed in Sernovodskaya the other day.

According to Alkhanov, two female suicide bombers, namely, Mitrayeva (1983-2005) and Isayeva (1986-2005), were killed. Magomet Khaidarov, leader of the Sunzha district's Wahhabi community, is among those killed. "The fourth militant has not yet been identified," Alkhanov added.

"A police officer was killed during that special operation. Two other policemen are staying in hospital," Alkhanov said.

This terrorist act was reportedly planned by bandit leaders Shamil Basayev, Doku Umarov and Aslan Maskhadov's "successor" Saidullayev.

"Operatives managed to seize two people, who were driving that explosive-filled truck. They told us that suicide bombers were waiting for the truck in Sernovodskaya. A special operation was subsequently conducted there," the command-center spokesman noted.