Two teenagers in western Siberia’s Omsk region have been arrested and charged with terrorism after setting fire to a helicopter, according to an announcement by the regional court’s press service on Tuesday (24 September).
The teens, both 16 years old, allegedly broke into a helipad and ignited the helicopter after being promised $20,000 by an unknown individual who contacted them via Telegram. Despite carrying out the arson, they claim they never received the promised payment, and the messages were deleted.
As the investigation continues, the two teenagers have been placed in administrative detention for two months.
This incident is the second of its kind in September. Earlier in the month, a Utair Airline helicopter was set on fire at Noyabrsk airport in the Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district. In that case, two younger teens, aged 13 and 14, were detained after reportedly being offered $50,000 for the act.
The increasing involvement of minors in such incidents, seemingly driven by online offers of money, has raised concerns about the influence of anonymous digital platforms in coordinating criminal activities. Both cases are under investigation, and the authorities are trying to trace the origin of these offers.
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