Man arrested in connection with murder of artist critical of Putin
Police have arrested a man in the Warsowice area in an investigation into the killing of 44-year-old artist Robert K., known as Simon Skrepetski, who created anti-Putin drawings.
Man arrested in connection with murder of artist critical of Putin
Polish authorities have arrested a man in the Warsowice area as part of an investigation into the killing of 44-year-old artist Robert K., who worked under the pseudonym Simon Skrepetski. Information about the arrest was conveyed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who also stated that security services are working to identify the person who commissioned the crime.
The arrested man does not currently have the status of suspect, explained Marcin Kozak, spokesman for the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Lublin. His procedural role and any possible connection to two previously arrested Belarusian citizens are still being clarified.
According to a police statement, the man was detained near Warsowice. He was carrying a passport issued to a 36-year-old Georgian citizen. Unofficial reports from the RMF FM station suggest the document may have been forged and that the arrested man could be Chechen. These reports have not been confirmed, however.
Kozak told Euronews that the authenticity of the documents is currently being verified. RMF FM also reports that the arrest took place in a Georgian restaurant in Piastow.
Earlier in the investigation, two Belarusian citizens were arrested, but they were released after the prosecutor's office established they had no connection to the case.
The artist, known as Simon Skrepetski, was shot dead on Monday in the city of Biała Podlaska. He created work online, publishing anti-Putin drawings in which he also satirised the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov. One of his best-known works was a parody of a classical Orthodox icon: instead of the Mother of God with Child, it depicted Stalin cradling Putin.
Several days before his death, the artist took part in a picket in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin, where he displayed his works. Shortly before the killing, he informed his Telegram channel that he was receiving threats.
According to Kozak's account, the perpetrator approached the victim on the pavement, fired three shots to the back, and when the victim fell, approached again and fired twice more. Prime Minister Tusk described the killing as an act of state terrorism.
Source: Euronews
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)