Explosion in Central Moscow Kills a Police Officer

RUSSIA – An explosion in central Moscow early Tuesday killed a traffic police officer and wounded 2 others, outside a railway station, according to authorities.

An unknown person detonated an explosive device near a traffic police vehicle outside Savyolovsky Station, the Interior Ministry said.

The ministry added that the perpetrator died at the scene.

“During an inspection of the scene in the square near Savyolovsky Station and a review of CCTV footage, police officers determined that the perpetrator died at the scene,” the ministry was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency Tass.

According to the Russian Investigative Committee Spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko, the explosion was a suicide bombing.

“It was established that in the early morning hours of February 24, a man approached three policemen on duty near the Savelovsky railway station in Moscow and blew himself up.… The identity of the man is being determined,” Petrenko said.

She added that investigation was still ongoing to determine whether the attacker had any accomplices.