At least three killed in explosion near cafe in Russia’s Moscow

What the report says

At least three people were killed and more than 15 others injured after an explosion near a cafe in central Moscow, according to Russian authorities reported by Al Jazeera. The blast happened on Saturday evening at Kudrinskaya Square, near the Balzi Rossi restaurant and a summer terrace on the ground floor of one of the city’s Stalin-era skyscrapers. Police and emergency services were sent to the area, and access to the site was sealed off.

The Russian Interior Ministry said the explosion occurred around 8pm local time. Moscow police told RIA Novosti that the injured were receiving medical care and described their conditions as varying in severity. Initial media accounts suggested a gas canister may have exploded, but Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee later said the blast was caused by a homemade improvised explosive device.

The committee said the dead included a security guard, a woman suspected of trying to bring the device into the restaurant, and a restaurant customer, though that account could not be independently verified. Authorities said the cause was still under investigation. The incident briefly disrupted traffic near the square and led to the closure of entrances to the Barrikadnaya metro station. The explosion is significant because it occurred in a busy central district of the Russian capital and prompted an anti-terrorism response.