'Cruel terrorist act': Moscow mayor on restaurant blast that killed 3, injured 21

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin called the August 1 restaurant blast a 'cruel terrorist act' and promised those responsible would be punished.

The explosion occurred at about 7:55 pm near Kudrinskaya Square when a woman attempted to bring an improvised explosive device into the restaurant; it detonated, killing the woman, a security guard, and a visitor.

Twenty-one people were injured; Sobyanin said they were receiving medical treatment at Moscow hospitals.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) said the device was an improvised explosive device but did not provide details on who assembled it or the intended target.

Sergey Goncharov, a veteran of Russia's Alpha counter-terrorism unit, speculated the woman may have been an unwitting courier, but this was not an official finding.