Second bomber of Moscow blasts identified by father: report

Second bomber of Moscow blasts identified by father: report

MOSCOW, April 5 (Xinhua) -- A Dagestani man has identified thesecond suicide bomber involved in the Moscow metro twin blasts ashis missing daughter Mariam Sharipova, Moscow weekly Novaya Gazetareported on Monday.

Twin blasts rocked Lubyanka and Cultural Park metro stations indowntown Moscow during the rush hours on March 29, killing at least40 people and injuring dozens of others.

According to the report, the man named Rasul Magomedov identifiedhis 28-year-old daughter by an Internet photo sent by a friend ofthe alleged suicide bomber responsible for the Lubyanka attack.

"My wife and I recognized our daughter immediately," Magomedovsaid, adding that his daughter had been missing for days.

"Last time my wife saw our daughter, she was wearing the same redheadscarf as in the photo," he said.

Besides Magomedov, Mariam has already been identified by severalothers based on the photo.

Born in the village of Balakhan in the Dagestani region ofUntsukul, Mariam was a local teacher on computer science, said herfather.

"She was devout, but she never expressed any radical opinions.She always lived at home; we always knew what she was up to," saidher father.

Magomedov also said he was informed by Russian security serviceson March 4 that Mariam was married to terrorist leader MagomedaliVagabov, which his daughter had firmly denied.

Investigations into Mariam's involvement in the Lubyanka attackwere currently underway.

The other suicide bomber who blew herself up at the Cultural Parkmetro station was identified as 17-year-old Dzhennet Abdurakhmanova,widow of the late Dagestani militant leader Umalat Magomedov.

Russian daily Kommersant reported earlier that the second bombercould possibly be the 20-year-old Markha Ustarkhanova from Chechnya.The paper said she was the widow of a militant leader killed lastOctober while preparing to assassinate Chechen President RamzanKadyrov, who is backed by the Kremlin.

Female suicide bombers from North Caucasus are referred to inRussia as "black widows" because many of them are the wives, orother relatives, of militants killed by security forces.