Russia is on high alert after a second suicide bombing rocked the same city for the second straight day.
Officials say at least 14 people died Monday when a male suicide bomber struck a trolleybus in the city of Volgograd. (Via RT)
Less than 24 hours earlier, another bomb ripped through the city’s train station, killing at least 17 and injuring dozens more. Authorities suspect a female suicide bomber detonated the device before she had to pass through a metal detector. (Via ITV)
The explosions have added to fears over security at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia — now less than 40 days away.
While Volgograd is located some 400 miles away from Sochi, many observers say there's reason to believe there's a connection. (Via CBS)
As The Guardian notes the extremist groups have switched to more distant targets to disrupt the games and attract attention.
Just this past October, a suspected female suicide bomber blew up a passenger bus in Volgograd, killing six people. (Via The Telegraph)
Investigators say these latest incidents are acts of terrorism, and haven’t ruled out the possibility that the two are related.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for either attack, but many are pointing to Russia’s Islamist insurgency. (Via BBC/ Russia 24)
Earlier this summer, the leader of the Chechen separatist movement called on his supporters to use ”maximum force” to disrupt the Olympics, which he described as “satanic.” (Via Euronews)
His group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a Moscow airport in 2011 that killed more than 30 people, and an attack on a subway system in 2010 that left 40 people dead. (Via CNN)
For now, officials say security has been tightened at train stations and airports across Russia.
