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People who didn’t prevent Minsk metro blast arrested - Lukashenko

16 April 2011 18:15 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that during the investigation into the Minsk metro bombing people, because of whose negligence the explosion was not prevented, were arrested, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti.

At least 13 people were killed and over 190 injured after a bomb went off at the Oktyabrskaya metro station, one of the city’s busiest, at rush hour on Monday evening.

"They were detained," Lukashenko said. "I instructed to interrogate them as criminals. How a person with a huge bag of 20 kilograms, carrying an explosive, passes by the police, by employees of the metro?"

Belarusian authorities said on Thursday that a total of five suspects have been arrested following a blast that tore through a crowded subway station in the capital Minsk.

Lukashenko said he has no doubt that those detained were the real crime committers.

"I’m probably not an idiot, if I take responsibility, claiming that the crime was disclosed," Lukashenko said.

Belarusian investigators launched a detailed study of t psychological aspects of identities of the alleged terrorists.

Lukashenko said that a large number of people have been questioned over the attack.

"We arrested a lot of people who were under suspicion, demanded an alibi for all, interrogated everyone," Lukashenko said. "We detained a lot of people for questioning for involvement in this explosion, and then apologized and released [those innocent]," he continued.

Deputy Prosecutor General Andrei Shved told reporters in Minsk that in addition to three people who have already admitted their involvement in the attack, Belarus police have detained two more suspects.

Belarusian authorities made public on Thursday a recording by a surveillance camera which shows how a suspected terrorist put a bag with a radio-controlled explosive device under a bench on a train platform and activated the bomb after moving away to a safe distance.

According to the Belarusian State Security Committee, the bomb was improvised and was filled with metal objects.