Accessibility links

Breaking News

Russian Investigators Suspect Terrorism Behind Arkhangelsk Blast

Updated

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.
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
  • 16x9 Image

    RFE/RL

    RFE/RL journalists report the news in 27 languages in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG