Russia arrests man for killing general

According to the Russian security service, a 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan was arrested in Moscow for the murder of Colonel-General Igor Kirillov and his assistant.

Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of the Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Force (ABC), was outside an apartment block early Tuesday when an explosive device hidden in a scooter was detonated remotely.

According to state media agencies, the Russian security service said the suspect was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence.

A Ukrainian source told the BBC on Tuesday that the murder was staged by the Ukrainian security service.

The Ukrainian security source said Kirillov – the Russian chemical weapons chief – was “a legitimate target” and had committed war crimes.

On Monday, a day before the killing, Ukraine brought charges in absentia against 54-year-old Kirillov, saying he was “responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons.”

The PR Center of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday that the detained 29-year-old was “suspected of having committed a terrorist attack.”

A statement said that during interrogation he explained that he had been recruited by the Ukrainian special services.

It added that he arrived in Moscow on Ukraine’s instructions and rented a car to monitor Kirillov’s residence.

The FSB said he attached the explosive device to an electric scooter that he parked at the entrance to the apartment building where Kirillov lived.

The FSB said the suspect was “guaranteed” a $100,000 reward and would have to travel to a European country to stay there.