Moscow Police Arrest 2 Teenagers on Suspicion of Planning Car Bomb Attack
Law enforcement authorities in Moscow on Tuesday announced the arrests of two teenagers on suspicion of planning a car bomb attack in the Russian capital on the same day that a man was killed when his car exploded in a nearby suburb.
Federal investigators said a “controlled detonation” was carried out in southwestern Moscow after an explosive device was found underneath a vehicle they said belonged to an employee of a “scientific-industrial enterprise.”
The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top investigative body, did not identify either the employee or their place of work. However, exiled Russian news outlets, citing images of the controlled explosion circulating on social media, geolocated the incident to the M.F. Stelmakh Polyus research institute, which specializes in laser technology.
Investigators claimed Wednesday that a teenage girl, acting on the instructions of unidentified handlers, retrieved an explosive device from a hidden cache and handed it over to a teenage boy, who then allegedly placed it and a GPS tracker onto the targeted vehicle.
Both teenagers were charged with attempted murder and the illegal manufacture and storage of explosives.
“The accomplices were arrested at the scene,” the Investigative Committee said, adding that it was working to identify any potential accomplices and checking whether the boy and girl were involved in “other similar crimes.”
It was the second blast to rock the Moscow area on Tuesday after a man was killed in a car explosion in the suburb of Balashikha earlier in the morning. Police have not named any suspects or possible motives in that deadly blast.
In March, Russian media reported that 14-year-old Moscow resident Ilya Osipov and 18-year-old Filipp Karapetyan were charged with attempted murder in connection with a knife attack against two employees of the M.F. Stelmakh Polyus research institute.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Not ready to support today? Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy.
