Russians Probe Mall Bombing
Russia's interior minister said on Thursday that investigators were still examining the cause of this week's bomb blast in a shopping mall near the Kremlin, but he declined to link it to tension in the North Caucasus.
Vladimir Rushailo told a news conference that no conclusions had been reached so far on the blast which rocked the Manezh underground shopping centre on Tuesday, injuring 41 people and raising concerns about security in the capital.
Â"We should not rush to speculate about a Chechen connection,Â" Rushailo said, referring to Russia's breakaway region whose independent-minded field commanders have been supporting Islamic insurgents in neighbouring Dagestan.
Â"We can make conclusions only after several days of investigation,Â" he added.
After Tuesday's blast, extra security measures were taken in Moscow. Those travelling in city underground trains and buses were warned to watch for unattended bags and parcels, which could turn out to be bombs.
As an indication of how the bombing has effected the psyche of Muscovites, CBS RadioÂ's Phil Ittner reports that police were called out twice on Thursday to inspect suspicious items. The fear-inspiring items turned out to be two small explosives usually used for fishing and a rusty World War II-era landmine found near a Hebrew school.
As soon as the police were dispatched, urgent dispatches from a Russian news agency proclaimed another bomb.
Russian news agencies quoted security officials as saying they were investigating various theories for the blast in the Manezh shopping mall, including possible links to Islamic guerrillas, political extremists or hooligans.
The RIA news agency quoted a spokesman for the FSB domestic security service as denying media reports that police had detained an activist for an organisation protesting against the consumer society, whose leaflet was found at the blast site.
Â"The investigation has so far found no reason to charge Dmitry Pimenov other than the leaflet,Â" RIA quoted the spokesman for the FSB's Moscow branch as saying.
NTV television on Wednesday interviewed Pimenov, who describes himself as a radical writer. He said he was not involved in any bomb attack, although the Internet website of his Revolutionary Writers' Union supports violence.
Â"It is a piece of art,Â" he said, adding that he had not been questioned by police. Â"You remember a film where a character called to poison all Russian rivers. You would not arrest the actor, would you?Â"