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The Security Service of Russia has said that it detained a suspect on December 18 in connection with the brazen murder of a senior military General in Moscow, carried out by blowing up a scooter.
Knewz.com has learned that the detained individual is a man of Uzbek descent who was allegedly recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the Commander of the Russian Armed Forces’ Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops, was murdered on Tuesday, December 17, in one of the most daring attacks on Moscow soil—with the Ukrainian military intelligence wing claiming responsibility for the "act of terror."
It has been reported that prior to killing Lt. Gen. Kirillov and his assistant, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) named the Russian senior commander a suspect in its investigation of war crimes and alleged that he ordered "the use of banned chemical weapons" in the Ukraine war.
"By order of Kirillov, more than 4,800 cases of enemy use of chemical weapons have been recorded since the beginning of the full-scale war," the SBU said in a statement.
It has been pointed out that the United Kingdom sanctioned Lt. Gen. Kirillov for allegedly overseeing the deployment of “barbaric chemical weapons in Ukraine,” adding that the senior commander was also a “significant mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation.”
"Russia’s cruel and inhumane tactics on the battlefield are abhorrent and I will use the full arsenal of powers at my disposal to combat Russia’s malign activity," David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary of the U.K., said in a statement in October.
Officers in Ukraine have since confirmed that the murder of the senior general early morning on December 17 was a "special operation" carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine.
Footage of the assassination, captured from a camera installed in a vehicle – believed to have been placed at the location to monitor Lt. Gen. Kirillov – showed two people emerging from a residential building with a scooter parked right outside.
Moments later, a huge explosion blocked the camera's view, obscuring the footage.
A Russian law enforcement official said in a statement to the state media outlet TASS, "According to updated data, the power of the explosive device was equivalent to more than one kilogram [around 2.2 pounds] of TNT."
"According to investigators, an explosive device planted in a scooter was detonated near the entrance of an apartment building on Ryazansky Avenue in southeast Moscow on the morning of December 17... The Russian Investigative Committee launched a criminal investigation under articles 105, 205 and 222 of the Russian Criminal Code," the report from TASSread.
The Russian state media outlet reported in a subsequent update that the Federal Security Service of Russia had apprehended 29-year-old Akhmad Kurbanov, believed to be of Uzbek descent, as the prime suspect in the "scooter bomb" assassination of Kirillov.
It has been reported that the suspected has allegedly confessed to the murder of the senior Russian general, according to the Federal Security Service, and that he agreed to do the deed in return for "$100,000 and a European passport."
The suspect reportedly also confessed to acting under directives from the Ukrainian intelligence services.
"On their orders, he arrived in Moscow, received a high-powered homemade explosive device, and placed it on an electric scooter near the entrance to Kirillov’s residence," a report from TASSmentioned.
"To monitor Kirillov’s residence, the suspect rented a car-sharing vehicle and installed a Wi-Fi camera in it, transmitting live video to conspirators in Dnepr (formerly Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine)," the report further read.
According to a source cited by the Russian state media outlet, the apprehended suspect Kurbanov reportedly led an "ordinary life" in the Russian city of Kazan prior to the assassination, and was a "fan of sports, particularly boxing."
The audacious assassination of one of the most prominent members of the Russian war effort in the heart of Moscow has rocked the Kremlin, with Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of the Russian Security Council, vowing “inevitable retribution.”
It is worth noting that an editorial piece in The Times deemed the assassination of Lt. Gen. Kirillov as "a legitimate act of defence by a threatened nation," adding that "western governments must step up support for Kyiv."
Medvedev issued a heated statement in response to the Times article, saying:
"It is impossible to ignore the comment in The Times. Some bastards in the editorial called the terrorist attack against Kirillov and his aide a ‘legitimate act of defense.’ Very well. By this logic <…> all NATO officials who decided to provide military aid to the Banderite Ukraine are involved in hybrid or conventional warfare against Russia."
"All these individuals can and should be considered a legitimate military target for the Russian state. And simply for all patriots of Russia."
"This can be applied to the mangy jackals from The Times, who cowardly hid behind an editorial. That would become the entire management of the publication. Does that make sense? It most certainly does! Which means ‘Be careful!’ After all, many different things happen in London," Medvedev added in his menacing statement.