Russia: Female Suicide Bomber Suspected In Airport Blast

From My Fox Houston:

The Moscow airport blast that killed 35 people and wounded more than 100 others may have involved a female suicide bomber from Russia's predominantly Muslim North Caucasus, Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted a security source as saying Tuesday.

"The explosion occurred the moment the presumed female suicide bomber opened her bag," the state-run agency quoted the unnamed security official as saying.

"The terrorist was accompanied by a man. He was standing beside her and [the blast] tore off his head," it added.

Pope Benedict XVI joined world leaders in condemning the attack Tuesday, describing the suicide bombing as a "grave act of violence."

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev vowed to "liquidate" the militants behind the attack.

"Terrorism remains the main security threat to our state," Medvedev said after observing a moment of silence during which he could be seen choking back tears, AFP reported.

"We have to do everything to make sure that the bandits who committed this crime are identified, exposed and brought to court, and the nests of these bandits -- or whatever they may be called -- must be liquidated," Medvedev said in televised remarks.

The Russian premier had been scheduled to fly to Switzerland for this week's World Economic Forum in Davos but he postponed the trip.

Sources told RIA Novosti that the attack bore all the hallmarks of militants from the overwhelmingly Muslim Caucasus region who have been behind a string of attacks in the Russian capital over the last few years.

Earlier reports said one suicide bomber shouted, "I’ll kill you all," before the massive blast ripped through the packed arrivals hall at Moscow’s busiest airport.

Shocking CCTV footage of the deadly explosion at Domodedovo Airport at 4:32pm local time Monday has been handed over to investigators.

Law enforcement said the bomb had the equivalent power of 11 pounds of TNT and was packed with metal objects to maximize the potential damage. Many victims reportedly had metal fragments embedded in their bodies.

Among the dead was Ukrainian playwright Anna Mashutina, 29, who had arrived in the Russian capital on her way to collect a prize, officials and colleagues said Tuesday.

US President Barack Obama led global condemnation of the bombing, calling it "outrageous" and vowing to stand against those who use terror tactics.

"I strongly condemn this outrageous" act, Obama said, quoted by White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.

"Any assistance that the government of Russia needs or wants, we certainly stand ready to help," Gibbs added.

News agencies have reported two Britons were among those killed but the UK Foreign Office says there was only one. He has been named as Gordon Campbell Cousland.

No group has as yet claimed responsibility for Monday's attack but Russia is battling a Muslim insurgency in the North Caucasus, and previous terror attacks have targeted Moscow.