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Court to consider extending arrest of Bolshoi Theatre soloist accused of involvement in attack case

According to the soloist, Filin had repeatedly misused grants and bonuses, and threatened theatre personnel with dismissal

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, August 8 (Itar-Tass) - Moscow's Taganka district court on Thursday will consider extending custody of Bolshoi Theatre's /GABT/ leading soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko, and his two suspected helpers, accused of involvement in the attack on GABT artistic director Sergei Filin.

The 42-year-old ballet art director was attacked near his house Troitskaya Street in Moscow late in the evening of January 17. An unidentified man splashed acid in his face and fled the scene. Filin was hospitalized with serious face and eye burns.

Police arrested GABT leading soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko as suspected mastermind, perpetrator Yuri Zarutsky who had a criminal record and driver Andrei Lipatov who had brought Zarutsky to the scene of crime. If convicted, they might face up to 12 years in jail /Article 111, Part 3 of Russia's penal code/.

Bolshoi Theatre employees said in an open letter that Dmitrichenko could not have masterminded the crime.

Moscow criminal police said they were confident that Pavel Dmitrichenko and two other suspects were involved in the attack on Filin and that Dmitrichenko's enmity toward Filin was the prime motive.

Dmitrichenko denied the charges stating that the crime was "no other than overreaction by the perpetrator, Yuri Zarutsky, whom Dmitrichenko had told about "the injustice at the Bolshoi Theatre." According to the soloist, Filin had repeatedly misused grants and bonuses, and threatened theatre personnel with dismissal.

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