Russia arrests opposition after university blast

By Staff
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MOSCOW, Jan 26 (Reuters) Russian police today detained a group of opposition activists at a Moscow airport on suspicion of exploding a small bomb earlier in the day at a university, a spokesman for the National Bolshevik party said.

The bomb exploded in the early hours today at the Stalin-era Moscow State University. It destroyed some windows but hurt nobody.

A delegation from 'Other Russia', a term used by the opposition as an umbrella name for their alliance, was due to fly to the Siberian city of Surgut from Moscow, spokesman Alexander Averin told Reuters.

''They were held without any explanation at about 8 p.m. and after one and a half hours they were told they were being taken for questioning on suspicion of involvement of the explosion at Moscow State University.'' Averin said four members had been detained. Interfax news agency quoted a source in the Russian police force as saying three people had been detained.

Averin denied his group or any other opposition activists planted the bomb.

More than 1,000 students had been evacuated from the 19-storey building in southern Moscow as a precaution, the Interfax news agency quoted emergencies ministry spokesman Yevgeny Bobylov as saying.

The blast, on a staircase, blew out windows on several upper floors and caused internal damage to a wall, Bobylov said.

There has been a spate of small explosions at Moscow student dormitories in the past few months, with no serious casualties.

At least one was caused by a small homemade bomb built by a student as a prank.

Reuters PDS RN0342

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