Man carrying two powerful bombs arrested in Dagestan

Man carrying two powerful bombs arrested in Dagestan

2011-07-06 15:21:34 GMT+7 (ICT)

MAKHACHKALA (BNO NEWS) -- A man carrying two powerful bombs was arrested in the volatile Russian Republic of Dagestan on early Wednesday morning, local media reported.

The man was arrested near the settlement of Kakashura in Russia's North Caucasian Republic of Dagestan, a source told the Itar-Tass news agency. The identity of the man was not immediately known.

According to the report, the man was carrying a ten-liter (2.6 US gallon) bucket filled with sealing foam with wires. "He also had a bag with ammonia nitrate and aluminium powder, also sealed in foam," the source told the news agency, adding that the two devices weighed about 15 kilograms (33 pounds).

It was not immediately known if the man was preparing to carry out an attack, but investigations are underway.

So far this year, Russian security forces have killed more than 145 militants in the North Caucasus region, including 19 senior leaders. Others have been arrested. The deaths have taken place in the troubled republics of Chechnya, Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria.

Islamist militants in the region have been fighting Russian security forces for years, looking to establish an independent state in the North Caucasus. Around 50 percent of all terrorist-related violence in Russia last year happened in the mainly-Muslim region.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-07-06