MAJOR TERRORIST ACT PREVENTED IN THE SFD

MOSCOW, March 6, 2004. (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Federal Security Service (Russian acronym FSB) officers prevented a terrorist act in a city of the South Federal District, the official representative of the Regional Operative Headquarters on counter-terrorist operations in the Northern Caucasus, Ilya Shabalkin reported.

He said that a day before the terrorist act was prevented, the FSB officers found the VAZ-2106 and the GAZ-24 cars stuffed with 300 kg of the explosives in the Alhan Yurt settlement, Urus-Martan region of Chechnya.

"There were three 50 kg bags of explosive substance of silvery colour, detonators and plastid in the trunk of each car. The bomb's electric wires led brought inside the cabins," Mr. Shabalkin told.

"Such explosive systems have been already used by the suicide terrorists in Mozdoc (North Osetia), where the military hospital was exploded and in Grozny, at the House of Government," Mr. Shabalkin noted.

According to Mr. Shabalkin, the FSB officers using a special device blew up one car and neutralised the mine in the other. Samples of the explosive substance were sent for expert's examination," Mr. Shabalkin added.