The
2003 Stavropol train bombing
was a
terrorist attack
that occurred on 5 December 2003, in
Yessentuki
,
Stavropol Krai
,
Russia
, when an
explosion
on a
commuter train
killed at least 46 people and injured over 170 more.
[1]
A regional
electric train
in Stavropol Krai was commuting from
Kislovodsk
to
Mineralnye Vody
in Stavropol Krai, when a
suicide bomber
armed with
explosives
equivalent to an estimated 7 kilograms (15 pounds) worth of
TNT
detonated as the train departed from the station in Yessentuki.
Responsibility for the attack was immediately pointed at
Chechen
terrorists, who had committed previous attacks on trains on the line shortly before, including one on September 3, 2003, killing 7 and injuring more than 80. Ibragim Israpilov, a former local official from Chechnya, was convicted in 2004 for organizing the September blast and sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment.
[2]
He is sometimes erroneously reported as being behind the December 5 bombing. Another series of suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks in and around Chechnya and
Moscow
also occurred in 2003, which added to suspicion.
[3]
As of February 2023, there were no arrests or convictions for the Yessentuki attack.
See also
edit
References
edit