Putin vows revenge for Moscow terror bombing

MOSCOW - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed revenge yesterday for the suicide bombing that killed 35 people at a Moscow airport, a familiar tough-on-terrorism stance that has underpinned his power but also has led to a rising number of deadly attacks in Russia.

Lax security also was blamed for Monday's explosion in the international arrivals area of Domodedovo Airport that injured 180 people, with President Dmitry Medvedev criticizing police and managers at the airport, the largest of three that serve the capital.

NTV television showed a photograph of what it said was the detached head of the suspected bomber. Investigators have said that DNA testing will be necessary before the man, who appears to be in his 30s, can be identified.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion has fallen on Islamist separatists from Chechnya or elsewhere in the restive Caucasus region who have been battling Russian authority for more than 15 years.

Chechen insurgents have claimed responsibility for an array of attacks, including a double suicide bombing on Moscow's subway system last year that killed 40 people. They also have used Domodedovo Airport before, with two suicide bombers slipping through its security in 2004 to kill 90 people aboard flights that took off from there.

A brutal crackdown on the insurgency under Putin has produced a backlash that has led to almost daily attacks on police and security forces in the Caucasus and brought the terror to Moscow.

In New York, the Police Department said an NYPD detective, normally assigned to Tel Aviv, arrived Tuesday in Russia to gather information about the suicide bombing. The officer is to gather information to help New York guard against a similar attack.