Kiev recruited the suspect to assassinate a Russian official using a home-made device, the agency has claimed © The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB)
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has foiled an assassination attempt against an official in Zaporozhye Region, the agency claimed on Monday. The suspect, a Russian national, is alleged to have acted on behalf of Ukraine, and was killed while resisting arrest.
The FSB released footage showing the suspect planting an improvised explosive device under a parked car. He can be seen limping past the vehicle with a cane before falling to the ground, pulling an object from a bag, and then placing it under the driver’s seat.
The agency said the would-be assassin, identified as Vitaly Dyatlenko, was “neutralized” after resisting arrest. He was reportedly armed with a Makarov handgun.
The footage released by the FSB showed a bomb specialist using a remote-controlled robot to remove the IED. The device was reportedly a hand-sized container packed with plastic explosives and other components.
The agency claimed that Dyatlenko had received the components from Ukraine’s SBU security service, the country’s successor to the KGB. Kiev reportedly operates an extensive program for assassinating Russian officials and public figures, particularly those in former Ukrainian territories.
READ MORE: Russia’s FSB foils Ukrainian terrorist plot against senior official
The FSB described the incident as an attempted “terrorist attack,” and linked the plot to next month’s presidential election in Russia.
