Improvised bomb kills three and injures 21 at Moscow restaurant

An improvised explosive device exploded at the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow at about 7:55 p.m., killing three people and injuring 21. The victims included a security guard who stopped a woman suspected of carrying the device, the woman herself, and a patron, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said in a statement relayed by TASS. Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a terrorism investigation.

Balzi Rossi, an upscale venue located in a Stalin-era skyscraper near the Garden Ring, had been closed on Aug. 1 for a private event, according to its website. The restaurant’s chef posted on Instagram that the establishment and kitchen were undamaged, a message later removed amid speculation about a possible gas leak.

Local media showed the scene cordoned off with ambulances and emergency responders attending to the injured.