ITAR-TASS, Russia
March 23 2007

Extremist group members seized in Petersburg

23.03.2007, 18.44

ST. PETERSBURG, March 23 (Itar-Tass) — Members of two extremist
groups have been seized in St. Petersburg on suspicion of serious
crimes, including the explosion at a McDonalds fast food restaurant,
city prosecutor Sergei Zaitsev said on Friday.

They are suspected of attacks on citizens of Moldova and Cameroon in
the St. Petersburg metro this February, the explosion of a flower
kiosk near the Vladimirskaya metro station, the February 18 explosion
at McDonalds, and attacks on an Armenian citizen and two citizens of
Uzbekistan in Pushkin.

Ten residents of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region aged from 17
through 23 were charged with the brawl in Pushkin.

The majority of suspects have nationalist views, Zaitsev said, adding
that they were taking part in actions organized by the Movement
against Illegal Migration. Extremist symbols and booklets, as well as
video recordings of attacks on foreigners were seized from the
suspects. Three of them took part in the attack on the Moldovan woman
and the Cameroon citizen.

There are five suspects in the McDonalds case, and three of them are
taken into custody. TNT and bomb parts were seized from them.

Experts confirmed the identity of bombs used at McDonalds and near
the Vladimirskaya metro station. The police said that the detentions
prevented no less than two explosions.

The February 18 explosion at McDonalds will be defined as `terrorism’
instead of `attempted murder’, Zaitsev said.

`The perpetrators wanted not only to breach the order but also to
intimidate the authorities,’ he said.

Six people were hurt in the explosion of a handmade caseless bomb
equivalent to 150 grams TNT and staffed with nuts.