Authorities in Belarus said Wednesday that they have arrested those responsible for the attack on a Minsk metro station and that some of the suspects have confessed, according to media reports.
Belarusian officials said they apprehended three suspects, two of whom said they were responsible for the attack, the Moscow Times reported.
The blast at a station platform killed 12 people and wounded more than 200 April 11.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been the country’s autocratic ruler since 1994, said that opposition forces might know who ordered the attack, according to state-run media Svaboda.
He said that while the suspects admitted that they had carried out the bombing, he still thinks someone else was behind it.
“Maybe politicians with the fifth column will show their cards and we will see who ordered it,” he said, referring to the fragmented opposition groups in Belarus.
Officials close to the investigation told the Moscow Times that the two did not have any political motive, and likened one of the suspects to the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter.
The unnamed source said that psychologists have evaluated the suspect and noted that he “enjoys seeing human suffering,” according to the Times.
Opposition in Belarus is likely to see more crackdowns and intensified pressure in the wake of the bombing.
Often referred to as Europe’s last dictator, Lukashenko most recently cracked down on opposition in December after the presidential election.
Belarusian officials said they apprehended three suspects, two of whom said they were responsible for the attack, the Moscow Times reported.
The blast at a station platform killed 12 people and wounded more than 200 April 11.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been the country’s autocratic ruler since 1994, said that opposition forces might know who ordered the attack, according to state-run media Svaboda.
He said that while the suspects admitted that they had carried out the bombing, he still thinks someone else was behind it.
“Maybe politicians with the fifth column will show their cards and we will see who ordered it,” he said, referring to the fragmented opposition groups in Belarus.
Officials close to the investigation told the Moscow Times that the two did not have any political motive, and likened one of the suspects to the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter.
The unnamed source said that psychologists have evaluated the suspect and noted that he “enjoys seeing human suffering,” according to the Times.
Opposition in Belarus is likely to see more crackdowns and intensified pressure in the wake of the bombing.
Often referred to as Europe’s last dictator, Lukashenko most recently cracked down on opposition in December after the presidential election.
