Death Toll of Saint Petersburg Attack Rises to 14, Key Suspect Named

Russian authorities announced Tuesday morning that after a terror bombing of the Saint Petersburg subway on Monday 14 had died and another 49 were in hospitals in the city injured.

The figure rose from the overnight number of 11 Tuesday morning to 14, with 11 having died at the scene and three from critical injuries later in the day. Of the 49 injured 12 remain in serious condition and 27 are in “moderate” condition, reports Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

Nearly 24 hours after the attack, Russian authorities are still working to make sense of the attack with conflicting reports of packages having been left on trains and of an Islamist suicide attack. In addition to the one detonation that took place between subway stops at the central square and the city technical university, a second pipe bomb was discovered unexploded at Ploschad station, according to reports.

While images were released in Russian media on Monday of an older bearded man in typical central Asian clothing, reports from Russian news agency Interfax Tuesday reported law enforcement sources which claimed a 22-year-old Kyrgyzstan-born citizen suicide bomber was responsible. Citing the Kyrgyz intelligence agency, the agency claimed Akbarzhon Jalilov, a resident of Osh in western Kyrgyzstan may have been in contact with the Islamic State.

Russian security sources said a “fragment” of the man who could have detonated the bomb has been found in the carriage.

Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the attack showed the need for international efforts to fight global terrorism, remarking: “[the attack] once again shows the importance of stepping up joint efforts to combat this evil”. In separate comments on Monday evening, the Russian foreign minister said he regretted the process of the United States forming their new government meant efforts to build dialogue between the two nations had been inevitably delayed.

Despite that, he said: “we expect a frank and useful conversation that would be in line with the intentions expressed by our presidents during their telephone calls, the latest of which took place yesterday evening”, reports the TASS news agency.

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