Russia says it’s nearly certain who ordered St. Petersburg bombing

MOSCOW — Russia’s FSB security service says Thursday that it is close to identifying who ordered the bombing on the Saint Petersburg metro this month that killed 14 people.

FSB head Alexander Bortnikov tells reporters that the identity has been “practically established,” Russian news agencies report.

Authorities attribute the attack to 22-year-old Akbarjon Djalilov, thought to be a Russian national born in Kyrgyzstan, who died in the blast.

There has been no claim of responsibility but investigators say they are examining possible links to Islamic State jihadists.

The FSB has detained another man born in Kyrgyzstan on suspicion of helping orchestrate the metro bombing, who admitted to “some involvement” in the crime during a court appearance Tuesday.

Eight other people — all from mainly Muslim Central Asian countries — have also been detained in Moscow and Saint Petersburg over alleged involvement in the attack.

— AFP