2011 Minsk Metro bombing

2011 Minsk Metro bombing
Emergency services outside Kastryčnickaja Station
LocationKastryčnickaja metro station, Minsk, Belarus
Coordinates53°54′6.84″N 27°33′41.04″E / 53.9019000°N 27.5614000°E / 53.9019000; 27.5614000
Date11 April 2011
17:55 local time (UTC+3)
TargetMinsk Metro
Attack type
Bombing, mass murder
WeaponsNail bomb[1] with 5–7 kg TNT equivalent strength[2]
Deaths15[3]
Injured204[3][4]
PerpetratorsDzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavalyou

The 2011 Minsk Metro bombing took place on 11 April 2011 when 15 people were killed and 204 were injured when a bomb exploded within the Minsk Metro, Belarus. The explosion happened at the central Kastryčnickaja station at 17:55 local time.[5]

Initially the cause of the explosion was unclear, but was found to have been a bomb.[6] The Prosecution Office launched a criminal investigation and classified the event as a terrorist attack.[7][8][9] Two suspects arrested on 13 April confessed to the bombing but the motives remained unclear.[10] In March 2012, both perpetrators, Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavalyou, were executed by shooting.[11]

There has been considerable debate about the possibility that the Belarusian government itself was behind the bombing.[12][13][14][15][16][17] The UN Security Council statement condemning the bombing refers to "the apparent terrorist attack".[18][19] The trial attracted international political condemnation and the verdicts passed out have been questioned, primarily by the Belarusian opposition and the EU.[20][21] The bombing came at a time of a serious economic crisis and protests against President Alexander Lukashenko's government.

  1. ^ "Взорвавшаяся в Минске бомба была начинена поражающими элементами". Segodnya.ua. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  2. ^ "Мощность взрыва в Минске составила 5–7 кг в тротиловом эквиваленте". RIA Novosti. 31 March 2011. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  3. ^ a b "В Беларуси умерла еще одна жертва теракта". podrobnosti.ua. 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  4. ^ "Belarusians struggle to explain metro station blast". BBC. 12 April 2011. Archived from the original on 15 April 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Eleven dead in Minsk metro blast". RT. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  6. ^ "Belarus arrests several over Minsk metro bomb blast" Archived 13 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 12 April 2011
  7. ^ "Deadly metro blast shocks Belarus capital Minsk". Baltic-review.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  8. ^ "Генпрокуратура квалифицировала взрыв в минском метро как теракт". RIA Novosti. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  9. ^ Meyer, Henry. "Belarus Subway Explosion Kills 11, Injures 120 Near Lukashenko Residence". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 12 May 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  10. ^ "Belarus arrests Minsk bombing suspects", The Australian, 13 April 2011
  11. ^ В Интернете появились сообщения о казни второго осужденного по делу о теракте в Минске (in Russian). Голос России. 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference fp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Minsk Bombing Has Everyone Asking: Who Could Benefit?". Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  14. ^ Marieluise Beck (30 March 2012). "Protocol of a meeting with Lyubov Kovalyova (Belarus)". Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  15. ^ John Sweeney (30 July 2012). "Belarus: Were executed Minsk metro bombers framed?". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  16. ^ James Kirchick (21 April 2011). "Who was behind last week's mysterious bombing in Belarus?". New Republic. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference csmonitor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ "Security Council Press Statement on Minsk Bombing".
  19. ^ "UN signals doubts over 'apparent' Minsk terrorist attack". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Agence France-Presse. 14 April 2011. Archived from the original on 18 April 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  20. ^ "EU condemns Belarus for metro bombing executions". BBC. 19 March 2012. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  21. ^ Michael Schwirtz (13 April 2011). "Belarus Says Suspects Confessed to Subway Bombing". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.