Abror Azimov, the man arrested in Russia on April 17 over St Petersburg subway attack, has denied he was behind the bombing that killed 14 people, Russian media say.
The suspect, who is reported to be from Kyrgyzstan, said he simply “followed” instructions, and “did not realize” what he was doing.
It came shortly after Abror Azimov’s lawyer told Russian media he had “fully confessed” to being behind the explosions.
A total of nine people have been detained over the April 3 attack.
Suicide bomber Akbarzhon Jalilov detonated a bomb between two subway stations.
Police had found Abror Azimov by examining Akbarzhon Jalilov’s phone contacts, Russian newspaper Kommersant said, citing sources.
Abror Azimov bought two new mobile phones and Sim cards on April 17, but gave away his location to security forces when he activated one of the cards, Kommersant added.
According to Russian media, Abror Azimov was born in Kyrgzstan in 1990, and moved to Russia in 2008. He reportedly became a Russian citizen in 2013.
The other eight people detained in connection with the attack – six in St Petersburg and two in Moscow – are also from Central Asia.
A statement said: “Both President Trump and President Putin agreed that terrorism must be decisively and quickly defeated.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the attack as a “barbaric act” and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Europe’s thoughts were with the Russian people.
First images from the scene showed a train at Tekhnologichesky Institut station with a hole blown in its side and wounded passengers on the platform.
Initial reports suggested there had been two explosions, one each at Sennaya Ploshchad and Tekhnologichesky Institut stations.
However, the Russian National Anti-Terrorist Committee later confirmed there had been only one explosion, between the two stations, at about 14:30 local time.
Senior investigator Svetlana Petrenko told Russian media the train driver’s decision to continue to the next station almost certainly helped save lives, as it allowed people to be rescued quickly.
Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said 10 people had died – seven at the scene, one in an ambulance and two in hospital. The death toll was later raised to 11.
Andrei Przhezdomsky, the head of the National Anti-Terrorist Committee, said the blast was caused by “an unidentified explosive device”.
The discovery of an explosive device at another station, Ploshchad Vosstaniya, also suggested a co-ordinated attack.
Interfax said the focus was now on a 23-year-old man from Central Asia known to have links to radical Islam.
The news agency said the man died in a suicide blast and was identified through his remains.
Tass reported that a woman may also have been involved in the attack.
St Petersburg’s subway system, which is used by more than two million passengers every day, has not suffered previous attacks.
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.