President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: We are here to discuss the tragic events which occurred yesterday in Nazran, in Ingushetia.
Yesterday I gave my assessment of what happened. First and foremost and of course the saddest thing is the deaths of our comrades. Their deaths are the subject of a special investigation that will be conducted with great care. We must find out what led to the tragedy and come up with some answers: is this irresponsibility, treachery or criminal conspiracy that could not have been anticipated?
In any case, I have to reiterate that these are links in a chain of terrorist activity which is now being forged in the Caucasus. First there was the assassination attempt on the President of Ingushetia, then the ongoing killings of innocent civilians, without regard to their occupation or specific public activities, and now yesterday's explosion at the Interior Ministry Department compound.
We must determine what security was like at the building, the state of its defences, who was responsible for guarding the territory, who was responsible for the compound's driveways, and what technical equipment was in use to prevent this kind of crime. Because none of these protection measures and equipment worked. Mr Nurgaliyev [the Russian Interior Minister], I want you to prepare a report for me personally on this subject.
In order to ensure that the necessary work is carried out in Ingushetia, I have decided to send Colonel-General Arkady Yedelev [Deputy Interior Minister] to coordinate all services and departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Ingushetia.
We need to prepare a complete set of proposals designed to take into account the specifics of the fight against crime in the south of Russia, particularly in the Caucasus, including but not limited to amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, relating to issues of jurisdiction, the rules dealing with such cases and a number of other things.
I would ask those present to prepare a set of specific proposals, since these have to be made into law. We will have another meeting to discuss this and it will take place very soon.
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