Overview
- An improvised explosive detonated near the terrace of the Balzi Rossi restaurant on Saturday, killing several people and wounding about 21 patrons and bystanders.
- Russian officials say a woman carrying the device, a security guard who inspected the package, and a customer were among the dead while emergency teams treated and evacuated the injured.
- Forensic teams and investigators are analyzing CCTV, phone records and explosive residues to determine whether the woman knowingly carried the bomb or was used by others and whether the device was triggered remotely.
- The restaurant was closed for a private event that multiple outlets say may have included senior military figures, a claim officials have not publicly confirmed and which investigators are probing as a possible motive.
- Moscow has labeled the blast a terrorist act and the Russian embassy in Italy blamed Ukraine without presenting public evidence; the attack follows a string of violent incidents connected in Russian discourse to the war and is already prompting tightened security and diplomatic friction.