Moscow [Russia], December 19 (HBTV): Russian authorities arrested a suspect in connection with the killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his aide in a bomb blast in Moscow, Al Jazeera reported.
The Investigative Committee said on Wednesday that an Uzbekistan national was arrested on suspicion of attacking Kirillov and his assistant Ilya Polikarpov on Tuesday morning, as per Al Jazeera. The 29-year-old suspect reportedly claimed he had been 'recruited by Ukrainian special forces.'
Kirillov, 54, headed Russia's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops since 2017. He was killed outside an apartment building when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter detonated, according to official statements. The bomb was triggered remotely, and images from the scene showed shattered windows and scorched brickwork, Al Jazeera reported.
A source in Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) confirmed to Al Jazeera that the agency was behind the attack, though Ukrainian officials have not issued an official statement.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) released footage of the suspect's interrogation, indicating he faces 'a sentence of up to life imprisonment.' The agency alleged he had been promised a reward of USD 100,000 and relocation to a European Union country in exchange for killing Kirillov.
In its initial comments on the incident, the Kremlin on Wednesday accused Ukraine of committing a 'terrorist attack.' Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, 'It is once again confirmed that the Kyiv regime does not shy away from terrorist methods,' Al Jazeera reported.
Lieutenant General Kirillov, who led Russia's radiological, biological, and chemical protection forces, was killed by a remotely detonated bomb planted in an electric scooter outside an apartment building approximately 7 km (4 miles) southeast of the Kremlin, according to Russia's Investigative Committee.
The blast occurred a day after Ukrainian prosecutors sentenced Kirillov in absentia for Russia's alleged use of banned chemical weapons during its invasion. (ANI)