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Kyrgyzstan ready to help Russia identify mastermind of St. Petersburg terror attack

On April 17, the ninth defendant in the criminal case, Abror Azimov, was detained in the Moscow region

BISHKEK, April 18. /TASS/. Kyrgyzstan’s special services are ready to begin cooperation with Russia to establish the identity of the mastermind behind the terrorist attack in the St. Petersburg subway, Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Aiymkan Kulukeeva, told TASS on Tuesday.

"If necessary, the interaction will be carried out between the special agencies of Kyrgyzstan and Russia," she said. Kulukeeva added that Abror Azimov suspected of organizing the terror attacks in St. Petersburg is a Russian citizen. "In light of this, information about this detainee was not specified by Kyrgyzstan’s consuls and will not be requested," she explained.

Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan’s special services likewise refused to provide any information about Azimov to a TASS correspondent. "We do not plan to comment on the issue," said Rakhat Sulaimanov, a spokesman for the country’s National Security Committee.

Earlier, some Russian and Kyrgyz media outlets reported that Azimov is a native of Kyrgyzstan.

On April 3, an explosive device went off in a subway train car when the train was moving from Tekhnologichesky Institut station to Sennaya Ploshchad station. The terror attack killed 14 passengers and the man who set off the explosive device, while over 50 others were injured. The Russian Investigative Committee disclosed the suicide bomber’s name. That was Akbarzhon Jalilov born in 1995, a native of Kyrgyzstan.

On April 6, the Russian Investigative Committee said eight criminal case suspects - Seyfulla Khakimov, Ibragibzhon Yermatov, Dilmurod Muidinov, Bakhram Yergashev, Azamzhon Makhmudov, Makhamadyusuf Mirzaalimov, Shokhista Karimova and Sodik Ortikov - had been detained. They were arrested the next day. On April 17, the ninth defendant in the criminal case, Abror Azimov, was detained in the Moscow region. According to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), he trained suicide bomber, Akbarzhon Jalilov.