Man who may have been recruited by Russian special services has been detained in Ternopil for setting fire to bank – National Police. PHOTOS
In Ternopil, law enforcement officers have arrested a 22-year-old man suspected of setting fire to a bank branch.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Ternopil region.
The incident occurred on 24 March at around 9.00 p.m. in the "Soniachnyi" neighbourhood. The police received a report of a fire at one of the bank branches.
The fire was quickly extinguished, and there were no casualties. An inspection of the scene revealed that the fire was caused by arson.
Probable recruitment via the internet
Law enforcement officers established that a local resident was involved in the crime; he was detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.
According to the investigation, the man may have been recruited by representatives of the Russian special services via a dating website.
He was told that his new acquaintance had allegedly been detained, and was offered the chance to "help" secure her release by setting fires.
Acted on the instructions of his handler
Subsequently, the suspect received instructions on how to prepare for and carry out the crime. He was paid a deposit for carrying out the task.
The man purchased petrol, arrived at the bank and set it alight. At the time, his handler was in contact with him and monitoring his actions.
Criminal proceedings have been opened
Criminal proceedings have been initiated in connection with the arson under Part 2 of Article 194 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The penalty under this article provides for up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The issue of serving a notice of suspicion and selecting a preventive measure is currently being decided.
