At least 20 people were killed and more than 40 seriously injured in suicide bombings in Russia's capital of Moscow on Saturday.
The explosions occurred at the Tushino air field in northwestern Moscow during a popular rock festival. Some 20,000 people had gathered for the event.
Two women tried to enter the Tushino airfield, the concert site, at two separate points but were stopped by guards.
"After realizing that they wouldn't be able to get into the festival ... the terrorists blew themselves up," Moscow police spokesman Valery Gribakin told Interfax.
Earlier reports said that three explosions occurred at the air field. The first blast took place when guards stopped a suspicious woman at the entrance to the air field and she immediately detonated explosives placed on her belt.
Police put minimum power of each of the two bombs at equivalent of 500 grams of TNT.
Russia's HTV television reported at the scene that one of the female suicide bombers survived the bombing with injuries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been immediately briefed about the incidents.
Several suicide attacks have taken place in Russia's breakaway republic of Chechnya and its neighboring regions recently. Russian authorities have blamed the terrorist attacks on Chechen rebels.
Interior Ministry Vows to Heighten Alert for Terrorism
The Russian Interior Ministry on Saturday urged the Moscow police to take a series of measures to go after the terrorists responsible for the bombings and prevent future attacks on public places.
Interior Minister Gryzlov has ordered the police to increase patrol in densely-populated areas, hospitals, theaters, shops and marketplaces; put in place preventive measures at railway stations and airports; and strengthen safety checks on suspected vehicles going in and out of Moscow, Ministry sources said.
Gryzlov has also urged the police to use inspection technologies and police dogs to check on participants in large-scale popular activities, the sources said.
Shortly after the terrorist blasts, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered condolences to the families and friends of the victims and expressed sympathy with those injured.
Chinese President Extends Condolences to Victims of Moscow Bombings
Chinese President Hu Jintao on Sunday expressed deep sadness over the suicide bombing attacks in Moscow and extended heartfelt condolences to the victims of the attacks and their families.
In a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hu, on behalf of the Chinese government and the people, reiterated that the Chinese government is determined to fight against terrorism in all forms.
The Chinese government is willing to join hands with the international community, including Russia, to combat terrorism, Hu said.
Int'l Community Condemns Moscow Attacks
The United States, Britain, France and Israel Saturday joined a chorus of condemnation of the Moscow terrorist attacks and promised to continue the fight against terrorism.
The United States said in a statement that it "strongly condemns" the terrorist attacks in Moscow and "President (George W.) Bush extends the sympathies of all Americans to the victims and their families."
"No cause justifies terrorism, and as long as innocents are threatened by terror, the fight against the evil will continue. The civilized nations of the world will prevail," said the statement issued by the White House.
The British Foreign Office condemned the suicide attacks and described them as a "horrific" act.
"I condemn in the strongest possible terms this horrific and indiscriminate attack on innocent people," Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell said in a statement.
Saying that "terrorism in all its forms has no place in a civilized society," Rammell expressed sympathy to the victims and promised to seek "further information and to establish the safety of any British nationals who may have been there."
French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Cecile Pozzo di Borg said in a statement that "France most firmly condemns the odious attack."
"France presents her condolence to families of the victims and express solidarity to the Russian authorities in this test," said Pozzo di Borg, who was accompanying French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin during his visit to Russia.
"This attack makes more necessary than ever the mobilization of the international community in the fight against terrorism in all forms," she said.
Israel expressed shock and sadness over the suicide attacks, condemning the blasts as "abominable."
Israel "shares the suffering of the Russian people over the abominable terror attacks," said a statement released by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office.
"The war against terrorists, against their helpers, against those who send them and those who fund them, is a war waged by all governments of the free world," the statement said.
"This is a war in which there can be no compromises and it will continue until the complete eradication of terror," it added.
EU Strongly Condemns Attacks in Russia, Pakistan
The European Union (EU) Saturday strongly condemned the suicide bombing and grenade attacks in Russia and Pakistan, reiterating its commitment to fight "terrorism," which it said is a major threat to international security.
Italy, which has just taken over the rotating presidency of the 15-nation EU, issued a statement expressing the EU's "most firm condemnation" of the "tragic terrorist attacks in Pakistan and the Russian Federation."
The statement expressed "complete solidarity with the peoples and governments of the two countries."
It also reiterated the EU's "strong commitment to the struggle against terrorism in all its forms" and Europe's determination to fight terrorism which "constitutes the main threat to international security."
A terrorist attack took place Friday in southwestern Pakistan's Quetta city, leaving 50 people, including three of the attackers, dead and more than 60 injured.
(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2003)
