Russian investigators suspect terrorism behind Arkhangelsk blast
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 31 October 2018 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russian investigators suspect terrorism behind Arkhangelsk blast, 31 October 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5c34a717c.html [accessed 27 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
2018-10-31
By RFE/RL
An ambulance takes away a casualty after an explosion at the entrance of an FSB office in the city of Arkhangelsk, in northern Russia, on October 31.
Russian investigators say they have launched a probe into suspected terrorism after an explosion at a Federal Security Service (FSB) office in northern Russia that killed one person.
Russia's Investigative Committee said on October 31 that the suspected bomber of the FSB office in the northwestern city of Arkhangelsk was a local teenager who died in the blast.
"According to preliminary information, a 17-year-old local resident, who brought a handmade explosive device to the building, was killed in the incident," the committee said in a statement, adding that three FSB officers were injured in the explosion.
The Investigative Committee published what it said was a CCTV image of the bomber in the lobby of the FSB building. The picture showed a young man holding a blue bag.
Investigators did not name the teenager.
Media reports in Russia identified the man as Mikhail Zhlobitsky, a student at a polytechnic vocational school who was sympathetic to anarchist ideas. But that information has not been officially confirmed.
The Investigative Committee's spokeswoman, Svetlana Petrenko, said that the case had been taken over by the committee's central office in Moscow.
According to Petrenko, investigators are now working on finding out friends and acquaintances of the suspect.
Meanwhile, regional Governor Igor Orlov said local authorities had taken measures to increase security in all public buildings in the region, which is located around 1,000 kilometers north of Moscow.
Attacks on security service facilities are unusual in most parts of Russia, but there have been many such attacks in North Caucasus republics such as Chechnya and Daghestan, plagued by violence blamed largely on insurgents.
With reporting by Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
