TERROR STRIKE: Upscale Moscow Restaurant Bombed — Female Attacker Stopped at Door

Liberty Check

• A homemade bomb exploded outside an upscale Moscow restaurant Saturday night, killing three people including the female bomber and a security guard who stopped her at the door
• At least 21 others were injured in what Moscow’s mayor called a ‘brutal terrorist act,’ though no group has claimed responsibility
• Russian authorities face mounting security concerns as assassination attempts and attacks have surged since the invasion of Ukraine began in 2022

A deadly bombing ripped through an upscale Italian restaurant in Moscow Saturday night, leaving three dead and more than 20 wounded in what city officials are calling an act of terrorism. The attack has raised new questions about security in Russia’s capital as the nation continues its military operations in Ukraine.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin didn’t mince words when he addressed the attack Sunday, declaring it a clear terrorist strike on his city.

“Yesterday, a brutal terrorist act was committed in Moscow that claimed human lives. The victims are currently in the city’s hospitals, where they are receiving all necessary care,” Sobyanin wrote on social media.

He promised swift justice for those responsible. Investigators are working around the clock to identify anyone connected to the bombing, and Sobyanin vowed they “will certainly be found and will face the punishment they deserve.”

The explosion occurred around 8 p.m. local time at Balzi Rossi, an Italian restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in central Moscow. Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee confirmed the blast was caused by a homemade explosive device.

According to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing local officials, a woman carrying the bomb attempted to enter the restaurant but was stopped by a security guard before the device detonated. The blast killed the woman, the security guard who prevented her entry, and one restaurant patron.

At least 21 other people were injured in the explosion. The restaurant had been closed to the public that evening for a private event, according to its website and Russian state media reports.

Video footage released by Russian state media showed heavily armed police officers, ambulances, and emergency vehicles surrounding the damaged restaurant as investigators combed through the scene for evidence.

As of Sunday, Russian authorities had not identified any suspects, and no terrorist organization had claimed responsibility for the attack. The investigation remains active and ongoing.

The bombing comes amid heightened security concerns in Russia. Earlier this year, the Federal Security Service (FSB) announced it would tighten protective measures for senior military and government officials following a wave of assassination attempts in Russian cities since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian authorities have not yet publicly linked Saturday’s restaurant bombing to those earlier attacks or to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The lack of clarity about the perpetrators and their motives has left investigators searching for answers.

Americans deserve better than a world where terrorism targets innocent civilians going about their daily lives.