Igor Kirillov: Russia detains Uzbek citizen for bombing of senior general

CNN
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A 29-year-old Uzbek national has been detained for allegedly planting the bomb that killed the senior Russian general and his aide, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Wednesday.

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia’s radiological, biological and chemical protection forces, was killed by a remotely detonated bomb planted in an electric scooter outside an apartment building about 7 kilometers (4 miles) southeast of the Kremlin.

The blast came a day after Ukrainian prosecutors convicted Kirillov in absentia of Russia’s use of banned chemical weapons during the country’s invasion. A source familiar with the operation later told CNN that Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, was behind the attack.

The Uzbek suspect was allegedly recruited by Ukraine’s special services and arrived in Moscow under their instruction, the committee said on its official Telegram channel.

“The detainee received a home-made explosive and placed it on an electric scooter, which he parked at the entrance to the residential building where Igor Kirillov lived,” according to the committee’s statement.

To monitor Kirillov’s residence, the suspect rented a car and equipped it with a surveillance camera, the committee added.

“The footage from this camera was broadcast online to the organizers of the terrorist attack in the city of Dnipro. After a video signal was received that the soldiers were leaving the entrance, the explosive device was remotely activated by them,” the committee said, adding that “other people involved in organize this crime, is identified.”

The detained Uzbek national was guaranteed a cash reward of $100,000 and residency in an unspecified European country, according to the committee.

Russian officials have reacted furiously to the general’s death, promising punishment “without question and without mercy.”