A blast in a nearby building sets off panic, but is confirmed to be related to renovation work
File photo of the Tuesday attack at the Technological Institute metro station in St. Petersburg. Pic/AFP
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Moscow: Russian investigators yesterday said they had searched a flat of acquaintances of the suspected St. Petersburg metro bomber, as they probe the attack that left 14 people dead.
"Objects relevant to the investigation were found during the search of the apartment where these people lived," the Investigative Committee said. "They were all confiscated and sent for analysis."
While earlier they refused to disclose the nature of objects found, it was later revealed to be explosives similar to the unexploded bomb in the metro. "Explosives were in a similar amount that was used at Vosstaniya (metro station)," said a security source.
Even a witness near the searched building heard officials discussing that the explosive device "was exactly like" the unexploded bomb.
The people targeted in the search are "several citizens of Central Asian republics, who had been in contact" with suspected suicide bomber, 22-year-old Akbarjon Djalilov, the committee said.
No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. The head of the committee Alexander Bastrykin has ordered officials to look into any potential "links" between the alleged attacker and the Islamic State group.
In an unrelated incident, just hours after the explosives were found, a loud bang heard from a nearby residential building was later determined to have been caused by renovation work and no one was injured.
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