Belarus bomber pleads guilty of subway blast

MINSK, September 16 (Itar-Tass) -- The main suspect accused of staging
an explosion in Minsk subway in April pleaded guilty at the trial which
began in the Belarussian capital on Thursday.
"I plead guilty of the explosion in Minsk metro on April 11, 2011,"
Dmitry Konovalov, 25, said and also pleaded guilty of another explosion
that took place three years ago during celebrations of the Independence
Day in his home city of Vitebsk.
His accomplice Vladislav Kovalev, 25, also pleaded guilty of
non-reporting preparations of the blast to the authorities.
The prosecutor accused Konovalov of terrorism, illegal possession of
explosives, malicious hooliganism and premeditated destruction of property.
Both accused face death sentence if convicted on terrorism charges.
The remote-controlled bomb they planted in the central Oktyabrskaya
metro station went off during a rush hour and killed 15 people and wounded
more than 200.
Deputy Prosecutor General Alexei Stuk said at the trial that Konovalov
chose the central metro station "to kill as many people as possible. He
knew there would be a lot of people in this station during rush hours".
The trial is open to the public in Minsk's House of Justice court and
presided by Alexander Fedortsov, first deputy chairman of the Belarussian
Supreme Court.