Russia: August 8, 2000

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  A bomb went off in a crowded Moscow underpass, killing eight and wounding 97. Chechen rebels are suspected, but the blast could also be the result of criminal activity. Gangs often use bombs to settle commercial disputes or to assassinate enemies. In Chechnya, warplanes continued to attack rebel positions on the Georgian border. The rebels have been moving weapons and ammunition across the Georgian border. Officials reported that 751 kidnap victims are still unaccounted for in the  Caucasus. Since 1992, 1,743 people were seized by criminal gangs in the area. Since then, 992 have been freed, mostly by Russian troops advancing into Chechnya. So far this year, 151 have been freed, and another 55 taken captive. It is feared that many of the 751 still unaccounted for may have been killed by their captors.