Media: House explosion in Magnitogorsk may have been a terrorist act
The explosion and collapse of a house in Magnitogorsk, Russia, may not have been a tragic accident, but an act of terror, the Russian news outlets 74.ru and Znak.com report, citing anonymous sources.
The entrance to the multi-story building collapsed on December 31, leaving 10 people dead and a further 30 missing. The following day, not far away, a Gazel shuttle exploded, killing the driver and two passengers.
Boris Dubrovsky, governor of the Chelyabinsk region, said that according to provisional information, the explosion was caused by two gas cylinders in the vehicle. According to one theory, the gas equipment was faulty.
According to some Russian media outlets, the authorities are investigating the possibility that this was an act of terror. Traces of RDX, a powerful explosive, were discovered in the house that collapsed.
Some sources claim that the Gazel shuttle caught fire when suspected terrorists were being arrested.
Law enforcement authorities reportedly shot dead three of the presumed terrorists. One of them was identified as coming from Central Asia. He was allegedly renting an apartment on the third floor of the collapsed building, and storing the explosive, which he intended to use for an act of terror in a shopping mall.
According to Znak.com, the fourth terrorist managed to escape, and is now being hunted by the police.
RT published a video with a burning bus and explosion-like sounds.