2011 Minsk metro bombing - most forgotten European terrorist attack ever?

13 years ago this day

The 2011 Minsk Metro bombing took place on 11 April 2011 when 15 people were killed and 204 were injured when a bomb exploded within the Minsk Metro, Belarus. The explosion happened at the central Kastryčnickaja station at 17:55 local time.

Initially the cause of the explosion was unclear, but was found to have been a bomb. The Prosecution Office launched a criminal investigation and classified the event as a terrorist attack. Two suspects arrested on 13 April confessed to the bombing but the motives remained unclear. In March 2012, both perpetrators, Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavalyou, were executed by shooting.

There has been considerable debate about the possibility that the Belarusian government itself was behind the bombing. The UN Security Council statement condemning the bombing refers to "the apparent terrorist attack". The trial attracted international political condemnation and the verdicts passed out have been questioned, primarily by the Belarusian opposition and the EU. The bombing came at a time of a serious economic crisis and protests against President Alexander Lukashenko's government.

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The explosion happened at 17:55 during evening rush hour at Kastryčnickaja station inside the Minsk Metro. Like nearly every station in Minsk, Kastryčnickaja has an island platform, and during the explosion, trains were located on both tracks. According to the initial investigation, the bomb was located under a bench next to the inbound (Institut Kultury-bound) tracks. The bomb exploded next to the second car of an inbound train. At the moment of the explosion, there were approximately 300 people in the station and an outbound (Uruchye-bound) train passed through the area without stopping. According to witnesses, there was "a flash and a bang" as passengers exited a train which had arrived at the station. The bomb was reported to have been packed with nails and ball-bearings and could have been detonated by remote control. The explosion carved a hole 80 cm in diameter. It was so powerful that it shook trains at the adjacent stations Pl. Lenina and Pl. Pobedy. The blast was equivalent to five to seven kilograms of TNT.

According to Interfax, the bomb was partially composed of fragments of metal. Most of the injuries from the blast were caused by shrapnel. It is believed that the explosive device was radio-controlled and that the bomb was of advanced technical quality. Interior Minister Anatoly Kuleshov said the perpetrators sought to "kill as many people as possible."

The motives for the attack remains unkown, as does the question of whether the two detained men were the real perpetrators or just scapegoats blamed for the bombing.

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Wikipedia article: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Some photos taken by local people after the bombing:

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