Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the suicide bomber responsible for the deadly blast at Domodedovo Airport has been identified, and they said they suspected his siblings and fellow villagers of aiding him in staging the attack.
DNA testing confirmed that the bomber, whose attack killed 36 last month, was Ingush native Magomed Yevloyev, 20, the republic's president, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, was quoted by Interfax as saying.
Tests also showed that the man was drugged, which is typical for suicide bombers, an Ingush law enforcement source told the news agency.
The bomber's siblings, Akhmed and Fatima Yevloyev, 17 and 22, respectively, were detained in connection with the blast, Yevkurov said, adding that they were aware of the attack being prepared, but did not report it.
Investigators also discovered on the Yevloyev siblings traces of explosives similar to those used in the Domodedovo attack, a representative of the court of the Ingush town of Magas said Wednesday.
Reports said several fellow villagers of the Yevloyevs were also suspected of involvement, but provided conflicting details on their fate and identity.
Yevkurov said the suspects, Adam Ganizhev, 20 and Akhmed Aushev, age unspecified, were placed on the federal wanted list, but Kommersant reported Wednesday that Ganizhev was in custody but still pending a formal arrest warrant.
The Magas court spokesperson said Akhmed Aushev, suspected of escorting the suicide bomber on his departure from Ingushetia, was also detained. Unidentified Interfax and RIA-Novosti law enforcement sources identified the man as Umar Aushev.
The suspects face charges of murder, terrorism and illegal firearms possession, the court representative said. The Interfax source said they would be transported to Moscow.
Two more suspects — Magomed's relative Islam Yevloyev and a man identified only by his last name, Yandiyev — remain at large, Kommersant reported.
The six suspects left their village of Ali-Yurt in August, saying they had found jobs in the Krasnodar region, but they were actually heading for a rebel camp that trained suicide bombers on the order of Chechen rebel warlord Doku Umarov, who claimed responsibility this week for the blast, Kommersant reported.
An unidentified Ali-Yurt resident told Komsomolskaya Pravda that the suicide bomber decided to leave the village after he was dumped by his 16-year-old wife Maryam in August.
Meanwhile, Stratfor, a U.S.-based global team of intelligence professionals, said late Tuesday that they were "skeptical" of Umarov's claim of responsibility for the attack.
Umarov had "more frequently" worked with militants from Chechnya and Dagestan and had made "false claims" before, the group said.
In particular, he claimed to be behind the 2009 explosion at the Sayano-Shushenskaya dam, which investigators blamed on equipment failure.
Still, an official involved in the investigation told Interfax on condition of anonymity Wednesday that Umarov's possible involvement in the attack "can't be disregarded."
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
