ST. PETERSBURG, April 20 (RIA Novosti) - Prosecutors have dropped charges of attempted murder in favor of terrorism charges against suspects in a February blast at a McDonald's in Russia's second-largest city, a St. Petersburg police source said Friday.
A home-made bomb, equivalent to 75 grams of TNT and packed with shrapnel, exploded in a McDonald's restaurant in downtown St. Petersburg February 18, injuring six people, including a German national.
On March 22, police detained six suspects in the attack, who were identified with the assistance of surveillance cameras installed at the restaurant.
"The six suspects were earlier charged with the attempted murder of two or more persons, but their actions have been redefined as terrorism," the source said.
Under the new charges, the suspects face up to life in jail if found guilty.
Investigators are also checking whether the suspects may have been involved in a series of attacks on foreigners and an explosion in a flower kiosk that left the attendant injured in early February, the source said.
