Bomb kills three, injures 21 near Moscow restaurant

A homemade bomb detonated by a woman killed three people and injured at least 21 near an upscale restaurant in central Moscow on Saturday evening, authorities reported. The explosion occurred shortly before 8 p.m. local time outside the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant, located in one of Moscow's Stalin-era skyscrapers at Kudrinskaya Square.

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an unidentified woman had tried to get into the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard

According to Russia's Anti-Terrorism Committee, the unidentified woman attempted to enter the restaurant but was prevented by a security guard. The blast that followed killed the woman, the security guard, and a customer. Those injured sustained wounds of varying severity.

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the woman, the security guard and a customer at the Balzi Rossi Italian restaurant had been killed in the blast that followed

Heavily armed law enforcement officers were seen at the cordoned-off scene, with state news agency RIA Novosti releasing video footage. Authorities have not identified the victims or potential suspects. The Kommersant daily newspaper, citing its own sources, suggested the bomb was intended to cause mass casualties on the restaurant's summer terrace and may have been detonated remotely, with the woman possibly unaware it was an explosive device.

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the bomb had been intended to maim and kill guests who were enjoying themselves on the restaurant’s summer terrace outside

The incident occurs more than four years into Russia's full-scale war with Ukraine. Earlier this year, Russia's FSB security service announced increased protection for high-ranking military officials following a series of assassinations and attempted killings attributed to Kyiv.

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the bomb had been set off by someone else remotely and that the woman carrying it may not have known that it was an explosive device