Moscow Suicide Bomber Likely a 'Black Widow'

The suicide bombers who killed 35 in Monday’s Moscow airport attack are thought to be from a “Black Widow” squad that trained in Pakistan. The female bomber was seen in the arrivals crowd before detonating the bomb, and her black clothes and veil indicate she was a “Black Widow” bomber avenging the death of her husband at the hands of Russian security forces. She was accompanied by a male who was killed, and officials are seeking three others who watched from a distance, the Telegraph reports.

Russia was warned of two likely attacks before the bombing, causing fear that other terrorists are planning a second attack. One warning in particular came when a female would-be bomber, whose husband was jailed for terrorism, accidentally blew herself up in Moscow on New Year’s Eve. The Islamic Caucasus Emirate will reportedly claim Monday’s attack, and an al-Qaeda linked website says it was provoked by Russia’s harsh military tactics against activists in the Caucasus region, which is in the grip of an Islamist insurgency.