MINSK. May 10 (Interfax) - Young individuals under 30 whose handler received an assignment from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry prepared terrorist attacks in Belarus on May 9, the ONT state television channel reported on Wednesday, citing the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB).
"They are all under the age of 30. It has also been determined that the explosives were U.S.-made. The young people who have been detained and who are providing confessions also know one other citizen of Belarus. He is in Kiev, and he found the [intended] perpetrators in Belarus after receiving an assignment from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry," the channel said.
According to the State Security Committee, the explosives were camouflaged as household appliances when they arrived in Belarus. They would have been enough to cause several train cars to derail.
"An expert evaluation showed that the explosives were U.S.-made C4 plastic explosive substances. These explosives are often used in terrorist attacks," Vladimir Atrashkov, the head of the Main Directorate for Special Expert Evaluations of the Belarusian State Committee for Judicial Evaluations, said.
The Belarusian KGB said on Tuesday that it had foiled attempts to carry out terrorist attacks ahead of May 9.
"We have detained a certain number of individuals who were preparing to carry out terrorist attacks. And we know that the security services are behind it," Belarusian KGB chief Ivan Tertel said at the time.
"Belarusian KGB thwarted attempts to carry out terrorist attacks. In our view, these events were connected with May 9. [It was] an attempt to foment the situation," he said.