The man arrested by Russian authorities over an attack on a supermarket in Saint Petersburg has admitted to planning the act and planting the homemade bomb that wounded 18 people, investigators said Sunday.
“During questioning, the suspect confirmed having organized and carried out the crime,” the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement.
“He said his act was motivated by a hatred of the organizers and members of the psychological centers he attended”.
The suspect also hid two USB drives that contained “information on the reasons which pushed him to commit the crime and a picture of the explosive device” near the scene of Wednesday’s attack.
The man had been registered at a psychiatric clinic since the age of 19, investigators said.
A court in St Petersburg on Sunday ordered him to be detained until Feb. 28, according to Russian news agency Ria Novosti.
Investigators have now labeled the crime an “act of terrorism” after first classifying it as “attempted murder.”
A pregnant woman was among those injured in the blast, which Daesh (ISIL) had earlier claimed responsibility for.
Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second city, and President Vladimir Putin’s hometown, was the scene of a deadly metro bombing in April and is set to host games during next year’s football World Cup, raising fears of similar attacks.
Source: AFP
