Russia confirms suicide bomber suspected in St. Petersburg attack, says Putin’s presence ‘noteworthy’

Russian authorities say such attacks are a challenge to the entire country as well as President Vladimir Putin.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said Tuesday that they suspected a suicide bomber was behind the attack in the Saint Petersburg metro Monday that killed 14 people and injured dozens.

Security and the emergency services are seen near Sennaya Ploshchad metro station which was closed over an anonymous call of a bomb threat in the underground, in St. Petersburg, Russia. (REUTERS)

Investigators said in a statement that “it has been established that the explosive device could have been activated by a man whose fragmented remains were discovered in the third carriage” of the train. It was not immediately clear whether he counted among the dead.

President Vladimir Putin’s presence in St. Petersburg at the time of a bomb attack is “noteworthy”, the Kremlin said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also told reporters that such attacks in Russia were a challenge for every Russian citizen, including the president.