Russian authorities are investigating a suspected car bomb attack in Moscow that left two people injured, following conflicting reports a military official was targeted.
Footage of the blast, posted on Telegram, appears to show a man and a woman getting into a vehicle before it suddenly explodes.
Initial reports in state media outlets named the two victims as Andrei Torgashov, a GRU military intelligence officer, and his wife.
Citing anonymous law enforcement sources, the Kommersant newspaper reported Torgashov had both feet blown off and was in a critical condition in hospital.
Hours later, reports emerged purporting Torgashov was perfectly well.
The aftermath of the blast. Pic: Reuters
The Kremlin-funded broadcaster RT aired what it claimed was a telephone interview with the satellite commander, who said he first heard about the explosion when he was at work.
He was also reported as saying the car involved in the blast was not his and that he lived elsewhere in the city.
Contradicting its earlier article, Kommersant then reported the victim was the officer’s namesake, apparently suggesting this may have been a case of mistaken identity.
Accounts from residents at the scene added to the confusion.
“My friend knew [the victim], they are from the same apartment block as Andrei, this officer,” a woman called Irina told Sky News, adding she was “blown out of bed” by the force of the explosion shockwave.
An injured person transported on a stretcher. Pic: Reuters
Another resident, named Natalya, said she found the incident scary but unsurprising, as “many military live in the area”.
Russia‘s interior ministry confirmed two people were hurt in the explosion, which it said was caused by the detonation of an unidentified device.
Following the launch of a criminal investigation, the head of the FSB security service, Alexander Bortnikov, told the SHOT Telegram channel the suspect had fled to Turkey, and efforts were under way to extradite them.
Later on Wednesday, Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted on X the suspect, a Russian national, had been arrested in Bodrum after arriving by plane.
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It is the latest in a series of car explosions that have hit Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine more than two years ago.
The daughter of ultra-nationalist Putin-ally Alexander Dugin was killed in a bomb attack in August 2022.
In May 2023, pro-war blogger Zakhar Prilepin was seriously injured in an attack Russia’s foreign ministry blamed on Ukraine.
Kyiv has denied any involvement in the latest explosion, with presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak telling an independent Russian media outlet Ukraine had “nothing to do with this”.