MOSCOW, September 19 (RAPSI) – The Moscow City Court has dismissed an appeal against arrest of an alleged organizer of the notorious St. Petersburg subway terror attack Sirozhiddin Mukhtarov in absentia, the court’s press service has told RAPSI.

Moscow’s Basmanny District Court issued an arrest warrant for Mukhtarov, a member of Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad terrorist group prohibited in Russia, on August 23. The defendant is to stay in detention for two months after he gets apprehended by law enforcement.

Currently, Mukhtarov is on the international wanted list.

On April 3, 2017, an unknown device exploded in a train between St. Petersburg metro stations Technological Institute and Sennaya Ploshchad. According to law enforcement authorities, 16 people died in the blast including a suicide bomber, over 50 were wounded. 112 persons were acknowledged as victims in the criminal case.

Investigators believe that an organization with a goal of spreading terrorist activity, including attacks on Russia and its citizens, was founded in Syria. According to investigators, the suicide bomber Akbarzhon Dzhalilov manufactured two explosives and brought them to the St. Petersburg metro.

One of the bombs that Dzhalilov kept to himself exploded around 2:40 PM Moscow time between St. Petersburg metro stations Technological Institute and Sennaya Ploshchad. The second bomb located at Ploshchad Vosstaniya station failed to detonate due to its malfunction and was subsequently found and disarmed.