Police Find Explosives In St. Petersburg Cinema

9 September 2004 -- Russian police in St. Petersburg said today they found explosives, detonators, and a gun in a cinema which was closed for renovation.

Russia has been on a high state of alert after a wave of terrorist attacks that authorities blame on Chechen separatists.

St. Petersburg police said one kilogram of plastic explosives, 200 grams of TNT, and two homemade bombs were found in St. Petersburg's Progress Cinema, where renovation work had been under way for the last six months.

Russia's Interfax news agency reported police had arrested several people who were described as suspected members of a criminal gang.

(Reuters/AFP/AP)