Random carrier text message blows up a Moscow Red Square suicide bomber prematurely

As annoying as carrier's marketing messages might be, it seems that they served a good purpose in Moscow around New Year's Eve. An unnamed female suicide bomber, apparently part of the same group that carried out the terrorist attack at the Domodedovo airport the other day, was prepping something similar on the Red Square. Her husband is reportedly serving jail time for being a member of a radical terrorist group, and authorities believe they have been training with the aid of al-Qaida militants.

The explosives belt she had on, was linked to a cell phone, which is often used as a detonator in such terrorist attacks by a co-conspirator who sends a text message when the suicide bomber gets near the victims. What the group didn't plan for, was a random text message sent to the Russian carrier's subscribers, wishing them a Happy New Year.

This reportedly triggered the explosion in the safe house she was in, just hours before the woman could get to the crowded Red Square, where hundreds of thousands of Russians usually gather to ring in the new year. It might have been an even worse blast than the one in Domodedovo, considering how tightly packed people are at these events - think Times Square when the ball drops. Next time we get a carrier's unsolicited message, we won't be fuming with annoyance.

source: DailyTelegraph via Textually