Occurred on 3 May 2012 after two suicide bombers detonated explosive-filled cars
One of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Dagestan, killing up to 40 people when two suicide car bombers struck a traffic police checkpoint in Makhachkala.
Key Facts
- Date
- 3 May 2012
- Attack method
- Two suicide car bombs at a traffic police checkpoint
- Death toll (revised 2016)
- 40 people
- Injured
- More than 130, at least 67 seriously people
- Initial official death toll
- 13 people
- Alleged organizer
- Rustam Asildarov (identified December 2016)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Militant activity in the Russian republic of Dagestan provided the context for the attack. Authorities speculated the bombers may have been transporting TNT toward a downtown location in anticipation of the annual May Day parade on 9 May, suggesting the checkpoint detonation may have been unplanned or premature.
On 3 May 2012, two suicide bombers detonated explosive-laden cars near a traffic police checkpoint in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, Russia. The blasts killed up to 40 people and injured more than 130 others, at least 67 of them seriously, making it one of the most lethal attacks in the region's recent history.
Authorities initially reported 13 deaths, but in December 2016 the Federal Security Service revised the casualty figures to 40 dead and more than 100 injured. The revised statement was issued in connection with the reported death of Rustam Asildarov, who was allegedly involved in planning the attack.