By blowing up "Neva-Express" train militants from Northern Caucasus wanted to kill civil servants

Militants of Northern Caucasus call the terror act against the "Neva-Express" train a link in the chain of "blows on strategic objects in the territory of Russia."

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 27, in the Novgorod Region, in the railway section Alyoshinka-Uglovka, as a result of explosion four cars of the passenger train No. 166 Moscow - St Petersburg got off the track. According to the latest data, the accident killed 27 passengers of the "Neva-Express" train, 95 victims are now in hospitals, 13 of them - in grave condition.

Militants assert in one of separatists' websites that they killed over 30 persons and wounded at least 80 more. They note that their aim was to attack top Russian officials, who make use of this train on a regular basis.

According to sources from the Investigatory Committee at the Prosecutor's Office (ICPO) of the Russian Federation, when employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), FSB and ICPO were already working at the Alyoshinka-Uglovka railway section of the Oktiabr Railways, where the "Neva-Express" train was blown up, another bomb was triggered. It turned out later that the bomb was triggered by means of a mobile phone, but the device got misfired.

However, as emphasized in the statement of the members of illegal armed formations (IAFs), the second explosion was about to kill Alexander Bastrykin, head of the ICPO.

"This train, especially on Friday, carries a lot of officials, who permanently tour between the two Russian capitals - Moscow and St Petersburg. It's no wonder that at least two heads of federal agencies were among the casualties. No doubt, the act was intended to draw maximum attention of politicians and mass media. Obviously, it did," said Petrov, one of the experts.

Militants call the authorities of the Russian Federation to stop murdering "peaceful Moslems of Imarat Kavkaz"; otherwise, they reserve the right to "undertake adequate combat operations against the 'civil' population of Russia."

The American tabloid "National Examiner" reports that militants had warned in advance about the forthcoming attack on the "Neva-Express" train. The article entitled "Warning was placed 2 days before explosion in Islam website" writes that on November 25 one of separatists' sites placed a letter of the grouping named Mavakhkhidun ar-Rusi running: "Friday is the blessed day of the week for Moslems. Friday is the weekly holiday for the Muslim ummah. Therefore, we have chosen this day for delivering a blow on Russia, as a gift for the holiday."

See earlier reports: "Chechen power agents doubt of Doku Umarov's involvement in blowing up the "Neva-Express" train," "Court extends custody for suspects of blowing up "Neva-Express" train," "Nationalists take responsibility for blowing up "Neva-Express" train."