Russian Security Officials Dismissed Over Airport Bombing

Photo: Reuters

VOANEWS-People lay flowers as they attend a rally to commemorate the victims of last month's deadly suicide bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo airport, January 27, 2011

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has fired several federal security officers in connection with last month's deadly suicide bombing at Moscow's busy Domodedovo airport.

Presidential spokeswoman Natalia Timakova said Tuesday the head of Russia's Federal Security Service submitted a list of names of officers responsible for fighting terrorism. The spokeswoman said they were dismissed because of errors in their work.

News of the dismissals comes one day after an Islamic rebel leader in Russia's restive North Caucasus region claimed he ordered the suicide bombing that killed 36 people. Doku Umarov makes the claim in a video posted Monday on an Islamic rebel website. The veteran Chechen rebel commander said the attack was aimed at what he calls the "chauvinist regime" of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

As the self-styled "Emir" of the Caucasus, Umarov wants to set up an independent fundamentalist Islamic state in the North Caucasus, which includes the mainly Muslim republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan. In another Internet video posted Sunday, Umarov said Moscow faces a "year of blood and tears" if it does not give up control of the region.

The January 24 suicide bombing at Domodedovo airport also wounded about 150 people.

Russian investigators say the bomber was 20-year-old Magomed Yevloyev from the republic of Ingushetia. Autopsy results indicate he was under the influence of powerful drugs at the time of the attack.

Medvedev has criticized the lack of effective security at the airport, and also fired officials responsible for transportation safety.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.