Russia police find bomb near train station: reports

Police discovered a bomb in a car near a railway station in northern Russia on Thursday, days after a train bombing killed 26 people, local news agencies reported.

The car was found near a station close to Russia's border with Finland, 900 km (560 miles) north of Moscow, Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies reported.

"A car was seized in the square near the Segezha train station in which an explosive device and guns were found," Vadim Kashirin, head of the transport police in the northwest region, was quoted as saying by Interfax.

Islamist rebels have claimed responsibility for detonating a bomb under a luxury express train as it traveled from Moscow to St Petersburg last week, derailing and wrecking carriages and killing 26 people, including some senior officials, Reuters reported.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia would "break the spine" of terrorism and demanded tough action against "criminals" who attacked their own people, during an annual televised question and answer session with the Russian people.