Darya Trepova: What clues does new Russian bomb footage reveal?
- Published
Vladlen Tatarsky with the statuette shortly before it exploded, killing him
New footage has emerged showing the moment a bomb exploded in a St Petersburg cafe, killing pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. The Russian authorities have charged 26-year-old Darya Trepova with terrorism.
In a different video released by the Russian authorities on Monday - which may have been filmed under duress - Ms Trepova was heard admitting she brought a statuette to the cafe that later blew up. But she did not say she knew there would be an explosion.
Pro-Kremlin social media users have said she must have known, pointing to the new footage - but what does it really show?
The woman at the back of the room
Video which emerged in the hours after the explosion on Sunday was poor quality and this led to speculation on social media that a blonde woman spotted at the event did not resemble Ms Trepova.
The latest footage - posted on Monday evening on the Russian VKontakte (VK) social network - is much clearer. It shows a blonde woman sitting towards the back of the room - who looks much more like her.
Facial recognition places Darya Trepova at the event
So we took a screenshot of the woman and used facial recognition software to compare it with an image of Ms Trepova from her VK account.
The software uses biometric technology to scan the face, measuring its features and layout. This can be matched to features in a different photo and a similarity score is produced.
Experts say a score of above 90% gives you a high probability that the two images are of the same person.
We got a similarity score of 96.3% when we ran these images through Amazon Rekognition. Another piece of software, concluded there was a "high probability" they were the same person.
There is also a distinct mark in the middle of the woman's forehead visible in both images - and this mark is visible in other images of Ms Trepova.
What did Ms Trepova's gesture show?
Pro-Kremlin commenters on social media have suggested that the way Ms Trepova acted in the run-up to the explosion shows she knew what was going to happen.
In the video footage, Ms Trepova is seen presenting Tatarsky with a gift, a box the same size and shape as one captured by a CCTV camera being brought into the building.
He encourages her to sit next to him - she initially declines, but does sit at the front, to one side of the stage.
Darya Trepova speaks with blogger Vladlen Tatarsky
She is shown exchanging light-hearted remarks with Tatarsky and smiles and covers her mouth with her hands.
In one edit of this footage the screen immediately then goes black, and an explosion is heard - suggesting it came right after her gesture and while she was speaking to him.
This was what prompted the speculation from social media users.
But the video was edited at this point and we've found evidence that the explosion did not happen immediately after she covered her mouth.
We found another video of the bombing, uploaded by the '112' account on Telegram - the Russian messenger app.
It shows the exact moment of the explosion. Seconds before, Tatarsky is in conversation not with Ms Trepova but with a man in the audience.
The explosion
The same clip also offers potential clues about the way the device may have been detonated.
The bomb, thought to be inside the statuette, explodes just as Tatarsky is seen leaning over it.
The moments before Vladlen Tatarsky's death
Stuart Ray, a senior analyst at McKenzie Intelligence Services, believes this is consistent with it being remotely detonated - this could be done by someone using a mobile phone or a key fob.
"The problem with a timer is you have no control over when that goes off. You have no idea if your target will be holding the device or be near it," he told us. What's still unclear, though, is who did this.
How did she leave the venue?
The new footage also contradicts the claim circulating in pro-Kremlin media that Ms Trepova had left the venue shortly after she had given the statue to Tatarsky.
But we know, first of all, that she initially sat down near the stage, which would have made it difficult for her to leave promptly.
Bombing suspect seen leaving the cafe after the explosion took place
We have also identified Ms Trepova, clearly visible in the footage showing the aftermath of the explosion.
She appears to be among the last people to leave the venue after the blast.
She doesn't seem to be in a hurry either - she stands still for a few moments after exiting the cafe and then walks away.
Additional reporting by Paul Myers
Video production by Jacqueline Galvin, Soraya Auer and Jemimah Herd