PM Putin Demands Bombers Caught

Vladimir Putin in a handshake with a victim

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says catching the organisers of suicide bombings in Moscow on Monday should be a "matter of honour" for investigators.

He said the security services, who have been widely criticised in the media, should drag the bombing masterminds "from the bottom of the sewers".

Russians are observing a day of mourning for 39 people killed in the rush-hour attacks on two Metro trains.

Officials have blamed the bombings on militants from the North Caucasus.

Tension remains
Russian media reports are linking the attacks to the death of a rebel leader from Ingushetia - Alexander Tikhomirov, also called Said Buryatsky.

He was killed by Russian security forces this month after being blamed for an attack on a train last year in which 26 people died.

Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted investigation sources as saying they believed Tikhomirov had recruited 30 suicide attackers from Ingushetia and neighbouring Chechnya.

Police fear that two of the bombers he trained might have blown up the Moscow trains to avenge his death.

The BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow says the main concern for Russia is whether Monday's bombings were the start of a new wave of attacks by rebels.

Security has been stepped up in the capital, as police are reported to be searching for three people sighted with the bombers.

The Metro is back up and running, but commuters say the city was not yet back to normal.

"I feel the tension on the Metro. Nobody's smiling or laughing," university student Alina Tsaritova told the Associated Press news agency.

Source: BBC