Man charged with attempted murder over Ülemiste mall blast
Prosecutors have charged a man with attempted murder following an explosion which took place at the Ülemiste keskus mall in Tallinn just before Christmas last year.
Artur Boiko, 61, has been charged in relation to the incident, including for attempted murder with an explosive device.
According to the charge sheet, Boiko brought a homemade explosive device to the Ülemiste shopping mall on the evening of December 20, 2025, placed it in a trash can opposite the checkout area of a Rimi supermarket outlet, then left the scene. The device detonated close to 90 minutes later, when a member of the mall's cleaning staff began emptying the garbage bin.
Prosecutor Diana Helila called it regrettable that the man's actions resulted in the cleaner sustaining serious injuries.
"The force of an explosion causes fragments or particles to be released from the explosive device, and these are the harmful elements that can critically injure or kill people. Considering that it was the weekend before Christmas, when shopping malls were busier and people were still doing their last-minute holiday shopping, the consequences could have been even more tragic," Helila said.
The prosecution has also charged Boiko with causing an explosion and with the illegal handling of a large quantity of explosive material and its essential components.
Andres Ratassepp, Deputy Director General of the Internal Security Service (ISS), said that during a search of the accused's residence, authorities were able to remove from his possession a large quantity of homemade explosives and, according to an initial assessment, over 60 homemade explosive devices.
Ratassepp added that given the large number of potential explosive devices found at the address, the investigation into many of the seized devices is still ongoing; investigators hope to complete their examination by the time the court proceedings begin.
"We have conducted the pre-trial investigation in cooperation with the prosecutor's office as quickly as possible so that the court can assess the findings of the investigation," Ratassepp said.
More than 100 people took part in the investigative operations following the explosion, including ISS officers, nearly 90 regular police officers, 10 rescue workers, six bomb disposal experts, and a police dog.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Karin Koppel
