In Balashikha near Moscow, police detained a 15-year-old schoolgirl after an attempt to set fire to a gas station. The press service of the Moscow Region Interior Ministry directorate reported this. According to the agency, a criminal case has been opened under articles covering attempted deliberate destruction of property and terrorism.
Police say the incident took place on Keramicheskaya Street, where the girl tried to set fire to a fuel facility on the station’s grounds. After gas station employees called police, officers arrived at the scene. The teenager was detained and taken to a police station.
At the station, according to the Interior Ministry, the schoolgirl said she had made contact in a messenger app with an unidentified man. She said he subjected her to psychological pressure and threats, forcing her to carry out the arson attempt.
According to the police version, while following the “handler’s” instructions, the girl poured a flammable liquid on a terminal and tried to ignite it with matches.
The regional Interior Ministry press service also released surveillance footage from the gas station. The footage, it said, shows the schoolgirl making several unsuccessful attempts to start the fire.
As a result, according to the agency, she was unable to complete what she intended to do: employees of the gas station stopped the teenager.