SBU prevents terrorist act in Kharkiv metro, detains person suspected of leaving explosive device at station
Employees of the Ukraine's SBU State Security Service have prevented a terrorist attack in the Kharkiv metro - they detained a resident of Kharkiv, recruited by Russian special services, who left an explosive device at the Industrialna metro station.
"The SBU has established that the security services of the Russian Federation recruited a resident of Kharkiv to organize and carry out the terrorist attack at one of the metro stations. According to the curators, the explosion should have resulted in numerous casualties and destabilization of the socio-political situation in the country before the presidential election," the SBU press service said on Friday.
According to the SBU, the Russian special service officials gave the perpetrator an explosive device, which was equivalent to 600 grams of TNT and could be detonated by phone call, as well as instructions for preparation, and paid him $15,000. The Ukrainian special service says that the suspect purchased nails, bolt and screws, which he planned to use to stuff the explosive device to make it more injurious.
According to the report, SBU officials removed the real explosive device from the cache beforehand and replaced it with a dummy.
Special service officers detained the man after the explosive device was planted at the Industrialna metro station when it was crowded, the press center said, adding that he was suspected of a terrorist attack.