Security services to analyze timing of St. Petersburg blast, Putin's visit

MOSCOW, April 4. /TASS/. Russia’s special services will analyze the fact that the terror attack hit St. Petersburg’s metro when Russian President Vladimir Putin was visiting the city, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"Certainly, the fact that this terror attack was committed at the moment when the head of state was in the city, makes us think and attracts attention. This is a matter for analysis of special services," Peskov said.

Any terror attack in a country "is a challenge for each Russian, including our president," he said.

The Kremlin spokesman noted that Russia like many other countries is "on the frontline of fight against international terrorism and no country in the world has so far managed to defeat terrorism alone."

"At the same time, everyone knows very well the consistent line of Russia in the war on terror and the consistent and very tough approach of President Putin to the issues of fight against terrorism. It is well-known that no country in the world, unfortunately, is immune from terrorism manifestations, but this does not mean at all that someone will ease the fight against this ugly evil, which we have to face," he stressed.

On Monday afternoon, a blast rocked St. Petersburg’s metro leaving 14 people dead and another 49 people injured, according to the latest data provided by Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova.

An unidentified device went off in a subway train car between two stations, Tekhnologichesky Institut and Sennaya Ploshchad. The Russian Investigative Committee is treating the blast as a terrorist attack, but other theories are being looked into as well.