MOSCOW, July 24 (RIA Novosti) - A Ukrainian national has appeared in a UK court charged with the "terrorist-related" murder of a pensioner in Birmingham, media reported.
The murdered pensioner, Mohammed Saleem, 82, was stabbed as he walked home from a mosque in April.
The defendant, 25-year-old Pavlo Lapshyn, a student from the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk, has also been charged in relation to explosions at three mosques, the BBC quoted West Midlands Police as saying Tuesday.
Lapshyn, who appeared in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, was remanded in custody to appear in a London court Thursday.
Lapshyn’s arrest followed explosions outside mosques in central England. Detectives are investigating the blasts, which occurred in the towns of Walsall, Tipton and Wolverhampton, between June 22 and July 12.
He is also charged with intending to commit acts of terrorism between April 24 and July 18. It is alleged that he bought batteries, a lunch bag, a clock and a container to build an explosive device.
He is also accused of carrying out Internet research to identify locations to plant explosive devices, buying chemicals online to make such a device and of modifying cellphones to be used as detonators, the British broadcaster reported.
Lapshyn has been in Britain on a temporary work placement since April 24. He was questioned about the bombings last week and was released. On Saturday he was detained on suspicion of Saleem’s murder.
