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St. Petersburg subway bomb could have been triggered by passenger — investigators

The investigators say they have reportedly identified the suspect

Russian Investigative Committee employees near Tekhnologichesky Institut metro station in St Petersburg Peter Kovalev/TASS

Russian Investigative Committee employees near Tekhnologichesky Institut metro station in St Petersburg

© Peter Kovalev/TASS

MOSCOW, April 4. /TASS/. An explosive device in the St. Petersburg subway could have been triggered by a passenger whose remains were found in a train carriage. His identity was established, Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko told TASS on Tuesday.

"It has been reported to Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin that investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee and operatives of the FSB [the Federal Security Service] and the Interior Ministry of Russia have established by their joint efforts that the explosive device could have been triggered by a man whose fragmented remains were found in the train’s third wagon," the spokeswoman said.

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"His identity has been established but the data on him have not yet been disclosed in the interests of investigation," she added.

Investigative Committee Head Bastrykin has been briefed in St. Petersburg on Tuesday on the latest results of the work by operatives investigating the blast in the tunnel between the Tekhnologichesky Institute and Sennaya Ploshchad metro stations on Monday. The blast killed 14 people and the number of persons injured in the explosion and the degree of harm done to their health are being specified as part of a criminal probe. Necessary forensic examinations have been scheduled, the spokeswoman said.

"It has been established in the course of investigative measures that another unexploded device at the Ploshchad Vosstaniya subway station was found thanks to the metro personnel’s efforts. The metro employees displayed vigilance and summoned specialists who defused the explosive," Petrenko said.

The investigators are continuing questioning procedures and examining video footage from CCTV cameras and have scheduled a number of expert studies, including explosion, genetic and other examinations. The criminal probe is under personal control of the Investigative Committee chairman, the spokeswoman said.

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