Police hold man carrying explosives

Police today detained a man who was carrying an assortment of explosives in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

The 26-year old Ukrainian, whose identity was withheld, had a total of 900 grams (about 2 lbs) of explosives and numerous ammunition rounds, said Dmytriy Andreyev, a Kiev police spokesman.

“All the explosives were fused and ready for use,” Andreyev said.

The suspect, a Kiev native, said he had brought the explosives and ammunition from Grozny, the capital of the war-ravaged Russian republic of Chechnya, Andreyev said. He said he was an explosives expert and had fought in Chechnya, but it was not clear on which side.

Ukrainian police have stepped up security throughout the country following the school hostage-taking and other recent terror attacks in Russia.