Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Russian Language Newspapers on Airport Bombing

I thought it would be interesting to hear what Russian language newspapers are saying about the appearent terrorist attack at a Russia's domodedovo airport.

My note: You should take this "translation" with a huge grain of salt. I simply used google translate in a number of different Russian newspapers. I then took the text and fixed some of the obvious errors to make it a little easy to read. I am not providing full translations for each and I took a few liberties in putting this together. Also I tried to show the idelogical slant of the paper when at all possible, this is only what I could get online. I do not read these papers generally so I do not know if the labels are true. Also my sympathies go out to the families of the victims.


Lets start with a U.S. news agency so we can compare and contrast.
CNN: U.S. cable news agency
Slant: Left leaning leaning middle of the road establishment media type.
Spin: CNN's early take on this event is that it was caused by homegrown Russian terrorists not necessarily chechnan, Russian woman are dangerous, and oil and gas prices might go up.




Informika:
Authroities believe the bombing was the result of a suicide bomber possibly of Arab descent in his early 30's. The police already have three suspects they believe were involved and they think they may have been motivated by the Manege Square Riots.

Judging by the damage and forensic evidence on scene police believe the bomber was wearing a "suicide vest" most likely packed with items such as nuts, bolts, nails, and other such items.

Police believe the terrorists traveled by car then entered the airport through an arrival hall where no security or metal detectors were present. It is then unclear whether one or two devices were used but they believe one device may have been on the floor when it went off judging by damage to victims.


Pravda Online: The online version of a very popular Russian paper. Below is a video taken from an airport security camera just after the blast. I am not sure if it will show up in the embed if not go to http://www.pravda.ru/news/society/24-01-2011/1064547-camera-0/


According to Russia's anti-terrorism committee, security measures were insufficient at the time of the blast and with proper security it could have been prevented. 35 are known dead and 180 wounded with that number likely to rise as more information becomes available.

The main suspect is an Arabic man 30-35 years old who drove in by car and parked in the long term lot. He walked into the airport, went up the stairs to the second floor where there was no security or metal detectors and detonated the device.

Others say they saw a man and a woman. The woman had on a black robe covering all but her eyes. The man was carrying a suitcase, which detonated. The device was a 5-11 pound bomb which included "striking elements" nuts bolts nails etc.

Russia Today: English language Russian News Agency rt.com






Thirty-five people have been killed in an explosion at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport according to the airport spokesperson. Up to 168 are said to have been injured in what the Investigative Committee believes to be a terrorist attack.
Ninety-seven people have been taken to nearby hospitals, 46 of them are reported to be in critical condition. Some reports say there are foreign citizens among the victims, including from the UK, Italy, France, Serbia and Slovakia.
Out of the 35 people who were killed in the blast, three lost their lives in the hospital and one died in an ambulance. Hotlines are operating to assist those seeking psychological help. Psychologists are also working among passengers at the airport.
The main type of injuries are shrapnel wounds and broken limbs,” said Aleksandr Nikolaev, the chief medical officer of the 1st Gradskaya Hospital, one of the hospitals treating the victims.
Emergency teams have removed the bodies of the dead from the scene, Interfax reports.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says the management at Domodedovo Airport is to take responsibility for the deadly suicide blast for not having had effective security measures in place.

“What happened at Domodedovo shows that the airport lacks security. It's unbelievable that such a huge amount of explosives was brought into the terminal. Those officials responsible for security in Domodedovo must be punished for their decisions. For this terror attack – grief, tragedy,”
the Russian President said.
“The police are investigating at the scene,” a member of the investigation committee, Vladimir Markin, told RT. “The explosion took place in the international arrival hall. A suicide bomber is suspected of carrying out the attack.”
On Monday night, the head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, was briefed on preliminary results from the investigation.

“Earlier at the airport, Aleksandr Bastrykin held a meeting with investigators and members of various task forces,” the Investigative Committee announced on its website. More than 60 investigators and forensic specialists are currently working on the scene.
The explosion was definitely a terrorist act committed by a suicide bomber, investigators at the airport say. They believe a man wearing an explosive device was in the crowd of people meeting arriving passengers. There are reports that the bomb was packed with shrapnel.
There are reports that the investigators are trying to determine the role of the airport’s security service in connection with the incident. According to the Investigative Committee, airport documentation regulating safety is being seized by law enforcement officials.
The body parts of the alleged suicide bomber have been found at the scene according to Interfax news agency. Reportedly it is a man of Arab appearance. A source from the blast investigation team told Itar-Tass that the parts may indeed belong to a terrorist, but added that it is too early to say for sure that the explosion was carried out by a suicide bomber. “Before a professional examination is taken, one must be very careful with such terms as ‘suicide bomber,’” the source said. The perpetrators could have used someone who did not know he was going to blow up, or he could have just been carrying an explosive device with him, the source added.
A terrorist act in the major international airport of Domodedovo in Moscow claimed 35 lives and left over 150 people injured. These graphic photos taken by eyewitnesses to this horrible tragedy are very explicit. Please, consider thoroughly before looking at the atrocities that terrorism brings.
The explosion happened at 4:32 p.m. in the international terminal of the airport. The explosion power was equivalent to 2 to 5 kilograms of TNT.

1 comment:

  1. Looks like there is some discrepencies in the stories between U.S. and Russia.

    ReplyDelete