The mayor of Russia’s second-largest city says she sees no need to tighten her security measures in the wake of arrests in a suspected plot to assassinate her.
A Federal Security Service spokesman said Saturday that two people had been arrested earlier in the week in the suspected plot against Valentina Matvienko but did not give further details.
Russian news agencies cited the service as saying that grenades and plastic explosives were seized in the raid that netted the suspects; a service duty officer on Sunday declined to answer questions from The Associated Press.
“I feel calm and sure,” Matvienko was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency on Saturday, which added that she said she did not foresee taking additional security measures.
Matvienko is one of the most prominent allies of President Vladimir Putin and one of the most visible female politicians in Russia.
Assassinations and attempted killings of politicians and highly placed officials occur frequently in Russia. Many of the incidents are seen as linked to money disputes rather than political issues.
