[kellyhound]

A bomb has exploded in a car in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, killing one man and injuring two other people in what police suspect is the fourth targeted car bombing in just over a year.

Police and witnesses on September 8 identified the man as Timur Makhauri, a Chechen with Georgian citizenship.

Police and several people who knew Makhauri claimed he was a member of a Ukrainian volunteer battalion who fought against Russia-backed separatists in the country's war-racked east.

The claim could not be immediately verified.

Artem Shevchenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, told RFE/RL that Makhauri ran in "criminal circles" and was "not an example of a law-abiding citizen."

Shevchenko added that a criminal case had been opened into the incident, with charges likely to include "premeditated murder committed using a publicly dangerous method."

Makhauri was reportedly arrested in January near the spot where he died in connection with a spate of car robberies and for illegal possession of weapons.

Timerhan Minayev, who said he served with Makhauri in a volunteer battalion, told reporters with Ukraine's Channel 112 television that Makharui had survived several prior assassination attempts.

Police said Makhauri died when his black Toyota Camry with Georgian plates exploded in rush-hour traffic near the posh Arena City entertainment complex at 6:10 p.m. The bomb was planted in his car, a police official said.

A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries, while a child of 5 to 10 years of age was in satisfactory condition. Police said they were not related to Makhauri.

Dozens of shocked onlookers and journalists hovered nearby on what is one of the capital's busiest street corners, lined with luxury shops and swanky clubs.

There have been at least three targeted car bombings in Ukraine in the past 14 months that killed two Security Service officials and a prominent journalist, Pavel Sheremet.

Ukrainian government forces are battling Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people since April 2014.

[ssak]

Dammit.....couldn't see the body. Or what was left of it...

[William May]

The way they are pulling on the doors, he must have still been alive at that point, and they were trying to get him out.........

[1/2Woman1/2Man]

You wanna kill someone, this is the way to do it.

[IEatOrgans]

Very well thought out plan.

[docfr8]

It is awesome to see how many people stepped up to help out

[Meridian]

Where did he go? Was he vaporised?

[Craphead]

How on earth did the other occupants survive that blast

[Dennislp3]

Originally Posted by Craphead ↗

How on earth did the other occupants survive that blast

There are a lot of things that go into an explosion that determine how deadly it is. If it was a small explosive device it was most likely underneath the driver seat (probably under the car as opposed to in it). The most important factors would be if it was a shaped charge of some sort meant to specifically angle the explosive force in a specific direction or area and how much material was in between the explosion and the passenger.

The type of explosive also matters...so explosives create a lot of fire and look scarier than they actually are (though you would not want to be near it) while other explosives create a much more violent and deadly explosion with a lot less to "show" in terms of how bad it might look.

[Yanni]

that roof panel went into orbit fast