A student from a military academy in St. Petersburg is facing up to 30 years in prison for allegedly planning a terror attack in the city with the use of an ice cream cart.
Vadim Osipov, 19, was detained in April last year after a teacher discovered notes detailing his alleged plan to seize the academy’s weapons room and barracks.
At a military court in St. Petersburg, FSB Major Sergei Krut testified that Osipov had plotted "to commit a terrorist attack at a public square, by placing an explosive under an ice cream cart,” the RosBalt news agency reported on Wednesday.
"He was also planning to hide another bomb under his clothes before walking into a large crowd," added Krut.
Osipov pleaded not guilty, saying that the FSB was just looking for suspects after the metro attack in St. Petersburg last April.
"Here I caught their eye, especially because I'm an orphan and no one can stand up for me," said Osipov, expressing regret that he had let down his academy and asking for his life not to be ruined, Rosbalt reported.
He faces 15-20 years in prison for preparing a terrorist attack, and 5-10 years for enabling terrorist activity, the independent online news site Mediazone reported.
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