Suicide bomber kills police officer, wounds three

  • 2004-11-25
  • By The Baltic Times
TALLINN - One police officer was killed and three were wounded as an unidentified criminal attempted to take a police crewhostage in the Estonian capital on Nov.25 early in the morning.

The explosion reportedly took place inside a police van at 3:22 a.m. in Oismae, a quiet residential district in the western part of the city.

Julia Gorbacheva, constable of the dog crew of the rapid reaction unit, and three other police officers were inside the van with the bomber, who allegedly tried to take them hostage.

The police arrived at 23 Oismae Road following a phonecall from a woman who said that her life was in danger. After the police crew arrived, an unidentified middle-aged man entered the police van during the initial information gathering and within a few seconds the explosion took place, according to police.

The bomber, who was wearing explosive around his body, died immediately.

Police chief Robert Antropov told the national TV channel ETV that the bomber could have been moving around the district and had caused suspicion of the local residents.

In a statement released Nov.25 Antropov said that according to the preliminary information, neither the incident was a terror act not the bomber had been planning a terror attack.

Two of the wounded police officers were in severe condition as of Nov.25 morning.

Gorbacheva, 30, had worked as the police dog crew instructor from 1992 to 1993 and had re-entered active police service in April 2004 after finishing studies at the veterinary medicine faculty of the Estonian Academy of Agriculture.

Police have started criminal investigation.