Kabul pursuing attack on Afghan child in Moscow

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan says it is closely investigating the case of an Afghan child who was severely injured by an individual in Moscow and has provided financial assistance to the child’s family, and will follow up on the matter.

According to reports, a Belarusian man has been arrested after he violently slammed a one-year-old Afghan boy to the ground in the arrivals hall of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

The child reportedly sustained severe spinal and cranial injuries as a result of the attack.

According to The Daily Mirror, the suspect, identified as 31-year-old construction worker Vladimir Vitkov, has been taken into custody and has confessed to “attempting to murder” the child.

Graphic CCTV showed Vitkov picking up the boy before “hurling him to the ground of Moscow airport’s arrivals hall”.

“The attacker — described as a ‘monster’ by a Russian official — apparently checks to see if anyone is watching and then suddenly grabs the child, throwing him hard on the floor in the arrivals section of Sheremetyevo airport,” The Mail reported.

Ahmad Zia Takal, deputy spokesman for MoFA, told Pajhwok Afghan News that after the incident, the ministry instructed the Afghan embassy in Moscow to inquire about the child, investigate the case, and follow it up.

According to him, later the diplomats at the Afghan embassy in Moscow visited the child closely and provided financial assistance to the child’s family.

He said the child’s condition is currently stable and he is out of danger.

Takal added that the “perpetrator” has been arrested and the criminal case against him is under investigation.

He also stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is using all its resources to ensure the child receives medical treatment and that the case is thoroughly examined.

sa/ma