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FSB close to establishing instigator of St. Petersburg metro attack

The FSB director added that the investigation into the terrorist attack was underway

© Alexander Demianchuk/TASS

MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has come close to establishing the instigator of the April 3 terrorist attack on the St. Petersburg metro, FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov told reporters.

"We are close to establishing him," Bortnikov said when asked if the instigator had been established.

The FSB director added that the investigation into the terrorist attack was underway.

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The blast in a metro car between Tekhnologichesky Institut and Sennaya Ploshchad stations occurred on April 3. The attack killed 14 people as well as the suicide bomber, while as many as 102 people were injured. Another bomb was deactivated at Ploshchad Vosstaniya station. The Russian Investigative Committee said that the blast had been carried out by Akbardzon Dzhalilov, 22, a native of Kyrgyzstan who had obtained Russian citizenship.

On April 6, the Investigative Committee announced the detention of eight suspects, natives of Central Asian states, six of whom were detained in St. Petersburg and two were apprehended in Moscow. A criminal case was launched under Article 205.3 of Russia’s Criminal Code (terrorist attack) and Article 222.2 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transport and carrying of explosive materials and explosive devices).

Later, another suspect named Abror Azimov was detained, who had allegedly trained the suicide bomber. On Thursday, Moscow’s Basmanny Disctrict Court will consider the arrest of his brother Arkam Azimov, detained on Wednesday in the Moscow region.

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Federal Security Service Terrorism

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