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Russia arrests four over alleged plot to kill top military officers

Investigators work near a scooter at the place where Lt. General Igor Kirillov and his assistant Ilya Polikarpov were killed, 17 December 2024.
Investigators work near a scooter at the place where Lt. General Igor Kirillov and his assistant Ilya Polikarpov were killed, 17 December 2024. Copyright AP Photo
Copyright AP Photo
By Oman Al Yahyai
Published on Updated
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Russia has arrested four suspects in an alleged Ukrainian plot to assassinate top military officials, days after Lt Gen Igor Kirillov was killed in an attack claimed by Ukraine.

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Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Thursday that it had detained several suspects allegedly involved in a Ukrainian plan to assassinate senior Russian military officers. 

The arrests come just days after the killing of a high-ranking Russian general in an attack claimed by Ukraine.

FSB stated through Russian news agencies that four Russian nationals had been arrested for allegedly preparing to kill Defence Ministry officials. 

According to the FSB, one planned assassination involved a remotely controlled car bomb, while another senior officer was reportedly targeted with an explosive device concealed in an envelope.

The agency did not disclose the names of the intended targets.

A video released by the FSB shows the suspects being arrested and interrogated, but their identities remain undisclosed.

This announcement follows the 17 December death of Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, who was killed by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his Moscow apartment building. Kirillov’s assistant also died in the attack.

The FSB reported that it had arrested a suspect in Kirillov’s killing, identifying him as a citizen of Uzbekistan. The agency claimed the suspect confessed to being recruited by Ukrainian special services.

Kirillov, 54, served as the head of Russia’s Radiation, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces, tasked with safeguarding the military from nuclear, chemical, and biological threats.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described Kirillov’s assassination as a “major blunder” by the nation’s security agencies, urging them to learn from the incident and enhance their capabilities.

Additional sources • AP

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