Solved case
2003 Red Square bombing
A suicide bombing on Mokhovaya Street near Red Square in Moscow on 9 December 2003 killed six people and injured 14, after a female suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt on a busy street close to the Kremlin.
On 9 December 2003, a suicide bombing occurred on Mokhovaya Street in Moscow, close to the Moscow Kremlin. According to police, a female suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt on the busy street, killing six people and injuring 14 others.
Moscow's mayor at the time, Yuri Luzhkov, reported speculation that the bomber may have intended to target the nearby Moscow City Hall or the State Duma rather than the location where the device was detonated.
According to the subsequent investigation, the suicide bomber was identified as Khadishat Mangerieva (also referred to in some sources as Khedizhi Mangerieva), the widow of Ruslan Mangeriev, a Chechen rebel commander from the Kurchaloyevsky District who had been killed during the Second Chechen War.
One of the people killed in the bombing, Inga (also referred to as Inna) Gizoeva, was at one point suspected by some reporting to have acted as a helper to Mangerieva. Following speculation of this kind, several Russian newspapers subsequently printed apologies to Gizoeva's parents.
Contemporaneous news coverage from BBC News and CNN reported on the bombing at the time it occurred, including reporting on the search for the bomber described in coverage as a "female bomber."
Key facts
- Victims
- Inga Gizoeva
- Date
- 2003
- Location
- Mokhovaya Street, near Red Square and the Moscow Kremlin, Moscow, Russia
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
2003-12-09
A suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt on Mokhovaya Street in Moscow, near the Kremlin, killing six people and injuring 14.
Best coverage
No coverage has been attached to this file yet.
People
Khadishat Mangerieva
CHARGEDIdentified by investigators as the suicide bomber responsible for the attack; also referred to in some sources as Khedizhi Mangerieva. Widow of Chechen rebel commander Ruslan Mangeriev.
Inga Gizoeva
VICTIMKilled in the bombing; also referred to as Inna Gizoeva. Was at one point suspected by some reporting of having assisted the bomber, a suspicion for which several Russian newspapers later printed apologies to her parents.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- A suicide bombing on Mokhovaya Street near Red Square in Moscow on 9 December 2003 killed six people and injured 14, after a female suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt on a busy street close to the Kremlin.
- Where did the bombing happen?
- Mokhovaya Street, near Red Square and the Moscow Kremlin, Moscow, Russia.
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved.
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Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDIC2003 Red Square bombingWikipedia · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — CNNCNN · 2026-07-07
Record history
- First published
- JUL 07, 2026
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