Incident Summary:
07/05/2003: Two female suicide bombers, linked to Chechen separatists, detonated bombs attached to their bodies as the two women tried to enter a rock festival at Tushino airfield in Moskovskaya, 14 kilometers northwest of Moscow, Russia. The two suicide bombers and at least another 16 people died in the attack. The number of injured ranges from 20 to 58 people.
Overview
GTD ID:
200307050003
When:
2003-07-05
Country:
Russia
Region:
Eastern Europe
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Moscow
City:
Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Bombing/Explosion |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property |
Name of Entity |
Civilians |
Specific Description |
Civilians attending the rock concert at Tushino Airfield |
Nationality of Target |
Russia |
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property |
Name of Entity |
Civilians of the United States of America |
Specific Description |
U.S. civilians attending the concert at Tushino Airfield |
Nationality of Target |
United States |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
Yes |
Extent of Property Damage |
Minor (likely < $1 million) |
Value of Property Damage |
Unknown |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Explosives |
Suicide (carried bodily by human being) |
Weapon Details |
Police officials said that the bombs were laced with ball bearings and metal fragments an approximately one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of TNT. |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | Yes |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Doubt Terrorism Proper () |
No |
Additional Information |
The exact number of people killed and injured varied by report. Initially there were at least 13 dead, not including the two suicide bombers. Reports from the days following the attack mentioned that some died from injuries. Most reports placed the number of dead at 16, not including the two bombers. Similarly, the number of injured ranged from 38 to 58. The second bomber was not identified in other reports but some other internet websites named the second bomber as Zinaida Alijeva. |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name |
Group Sub-name |
Claimed Responsibility |
Chechen Rebels (suspected) |
Black Widows |
No |
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
2 |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
0 |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
16 Fatalities |
Total Number of Fatalities |
16 |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
2 |
Total Number of Injured |
Unknown |
Number of U.S. Injured |
Unknown |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
Michael Wines and Sabrina Tavernise, “Explosions at a Moscow Rock Festival kill at least 16,” The New York Times, July 06, 2003. |
Tom Parfitt, “Woman at war: after the blast, a suicide bomber lies dead, twenty killed in Moscow pop festival bombing,” Sunday Telegraph, July 06, 2003. |
Susan B. Glasser, “16 Die in explosion at Russian concert; authorities blame Chechen Rebels for blasts set off by two women,” The Washington Post, July 06, 2003. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties