Criminal proceedings have been opened against police officers suspected of negligence that led to loss of life in a terrorist attack in southern Russia, the special investigations committee said on Saturday.
A powerful blast went off outside the House of Culture and Sport in the city of Stavropol Wednesday evening before a Chechen concert was to begin, killing seven and injuring more than 40 people.
Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said the police officers had acted negligently when inspecting the site, failing to find the explosive device.
He did not say how many police officers were being charged, but if convicted, they could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison.
The Stavropol Territory is the largest region in the North Caucasus Federal District, but has remained largely free of the violence that plagues the mostly Muslim neighboring republics, including Ingushetia.
An aide to the region's chief investigator said on Friday several people had been identified as suspects in connection with the incident.
MOSCOW/STAVROPOL, May 29 (RIA Novosti)
