According to the expert, no European country can be sure that a similar attack won't take place on its territory. He also pointed out that even before the investigation was underway the incident was at once called a "terrorist act."
"We do not know exactly yet whether this is an act of terrorism or an accident, but before the investigation is over they already claimed that it was an act of terrorism. This is a kind of informational and psychological impact on the population… We entered an acute phase: there are no quiet corners in Europe anymore. The influx of refugees has led to the violation of the way of life, moral norms, rules… A new, rigid world order is being formed," Sokolov told Radio Sputnik.
Russian Senator Franz Klintsevich, in turn, stressed that all the latest terrorist attacks have once again demonstrated the need for joint efforts in the fight against terrorism.
"I would like to recall a statement of Daesh's leader Al-Baghdadi that he made six weeks ago. He said they'd had quite serious losses, the pressure is high and they ‘go to the mountains' and change tactics. They [the terrorists] have their ‘sleeping cells' and those will gradually ‘wake up.' Europe should understand that, it is necessary to understand that all the recent terrorist attacks, including the one in St. Petersburg, have once again shown one important thing: one can't fight the terrorism alone. It is impossible, it can be done only with joint efforts," Klintsevich said.
So far, police arrested two men on suspicion of being involved in the deadly attack. The first suspect is a 39-year-old Uzbek national living in Sweden. The man had reportedly posted propaganda related to Daesh terrorist group, banned in a range of countries, including Russia, on his Facebook page.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said the attack was most likely an act of terrorism. The investigation is underway.
Earlier this week, an explosive device blasted in St. Petersburg in a subway train. Another blast that was supposed to take place on the Ploshchad Vosstaniya station was prevented by bomb technicians. The explosion resulted in at least 14 deaths. Following the incident, Russia's Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case over a terrorist act.
