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Bomb Near Yeltsin Home

One person was killed and five were wounded Wednesday when a bomb exploded in a Zhiguli car parked less than a mile from President Boris Yeltsin's new Moscow apartment, officials said.


The explosion was believed to have been a criminal attack rather than an act of political terrorism, news reports said.


The Ministry for Emergency Situation identified the person who was killed as the driver of the Russian-made car. The blast, which occurred at 12:50 P.M., shattered windows in nearby houses, it said in a report carried by Interfax.


Itar-Tass said the dead man was a driver for a private trade company, and identified one wounded passenger as a known criminal. Two children, girls aged 8 and 10, also were injured, it said.


Police in the Krylatskoye district of western Moscow said that the explosion occurred one kilometer away from Yeltsin's apartment, Interfax reported.


Yeltsin's official residence is in the Kremlin and he now lives with his family at the presidential country house not far from Moscow. Yeltsin's family is supposed to move into the Krylatskoye apartment soon.


The president's press service told Itar-Tass "there were no political motives behind the explosion. It was a purely criminal event."


Criminals in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia are increasingly using bombs and firearms to fight their competitors or enforce their own extortion rules.

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