03 November 2004, 23:06
Car explosion in Makhachkala
An explosion occurred in the center of Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, in the evening today. An Oka car was blown up, the Caucasian Knot correspondent was told in the Dagestani interior department. A car of Amuchi Amutinov, chairman of the Russian Pension Fund department in Dagestan, was moving near when the explosion occurred. The official's car stalled not far from the Oka car because of the explosion. Then the driver started it and hurried to drive a few meters away. The people in the car, Amuchi Amutinov, his security guard and the driver, did not suffer. Their armored Mercedes was damaged; its left side is bestrewn with small sockets left by scattered bolts and nails. Eye-witnesses confirm law enforcers' reports that nobody was in Oka at the moment of the explosion. Unofficial sources in law enforcement agencies do not rule out the version that it was an attempt on Amuchi Amutinov's life.
Yesterday, November 2, another car was blown up at a car park in Makhachkala, the capacity of the explosive device being equivalent to 25 kilograms of TNT. The man whose remains were found at the site of the explosion has been identified, reported the Dagestani Interior Ministry. 28-year-old Aslanbeg Askhabov was one of Chechen rebel leaders.
Author: Aida Mirmaksumova, CK correspondent Source: Caucasian Knot
