MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. Russia’s investigative committee has charged Alexander Permyakov, detained for an attempt on the life of the writer Zakhar Prilepin, with terrorism and is petitioning for his arrest, the committee’s press service told reporters on Monday.
"The Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee, as part of the criminal investigation into the explosion of Zakhar Prilepin's car, charged Alexander Permyakov with committing crimes under Article 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Act of terrorism") and Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Arms trafficking ")," the statement says. Investigators are petitioning for the election of a measure of restraint against Permyakov in the form of detention.
On Saturday morning, an explosive device went off near Zakhar Prilepin’s Audi Q7. The incident, which occurred in the village of Pionersky in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Region, left the writer wounded and killed his security guard. There were no other casualties, the police said. A criminal case was launched under Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code (Act of Terrorism). Law enforcement officials told TASS that a sabotage group might have been behind the attack and placed the explosive devices along Prilepin’s route. Alexander Permyakov detained on suspicion of being involved in the assassination attempt, testified to having acted on instructions from Ukrainian intelligence agencies.