A prominent Moscow bar owner and two others were injured after a car bomb detonated on the south side of the Russian capital early Tuesday, local authorities and media reported.
Viktor Mishachev, CEO and co-founder of the Shaker Group, was hospitalized after the apparent bomb attack, the state-run news agency TASS reported, citing an anonymous law enforcement official. One other adult and Mishachev’s six-year-old son were also injured in the blast.
RIA Novosti, citing an unnamed law enforcement official, reported that the explosion ripped off one of the victims’ hands. Earlier reporting indicated the blast occurred when someone tried to remove a suspicious item from the hood of the vehicle.
Photos shared on social media showed what was said to be Mishachev’s SUV, which appeared mostly undamaged except for a small hole in the hood of the vehicle below the front windshield.
Police told state media they believe Mishachev may have been targeted over a business or personal dispute. The Moscow branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said it launched a criminal investigation into attempted murder.
Independent Russian media said Mishachev is the co-owner of the popular bar Coyote Ugly, as well as venues in the cities of St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. Publicly available corporate data also shows that his Shaker Group owns the Dirty Dance Bar in Moscow.
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