By killing a policeman in Prague underground a Russian wanted to attract public's attention to problem of foreigners in Czech republic

By killing a policeman in the Prague underground a 53-year-old citizen of Russia, Alexander Kruchinin, wanted to attract the attention of the public to the problem of legalisation of foreigners in the Czech Republic. Press secretary of the Prague police Eva Brozova told reporters about it on Wednesday.

According to her, the criminal refuses to collaborate with the investigation, though he does not reject his guilt of killing a policeman. He only stated that he wanted to attract the attention of the public to the problem of legalisation of foreigners in the Czech Republic.

According to the Czech legislation, Russian citizen Alexander Kruchinin can be sentenced to a term of fifteen years.

Last Friday evening, on the Museum underground station, a man was throwing explosives on the rails which caused a noisy effect. When one of the passengers tried to stop the hooligan, the man stabbed him twice with a knife in the chest. (The passenger has been hospitalised.) When the policeman on duty on the station came up to the place of the incident, the criminal inflicted a mortal wound in his heart, as a result of which the policeman died.

The criminal, whose photograph was shown on television, was recognised by the owner of the flat which Kruchinin rented in Prague.

The investigation has established that from 1994 to 2000 Kruchinin legally lived in the Czech Republic and worked at a construction-site. But in 2000 he failed to prolong his residence permit and since that time he has been living in the republic illegally.

The Czech police is verifying the materials about Kruchinin's personality with the help of the Russian office of the Interpol.