Skinheads Torch 10-year Old in North Russia

MosNews/April 21, 2004

A 10-year-old Armenian boy has been set on fire as a result of an apparent racist attack in the northern Russian city of Kostroma, the Regions.ru web-site reports. The local police believe that the boy fell victim to skinheads.

Eyewitnesses have told the police that two friends, aged 10 and 11 had dropped into a grocery store after classes. A group of youths was apparently waiting for them outside. As the boys came out of the shop, the attackers splashed gasoline over one of them and set him on fire.

Luckily, some passers-by helped the boy and quickly extinguished the fire. He was then rushed to hospital. Doctors said the boy had burns to his face and hands.

The attackers fled the scene. The local police reported that they looked like skinheads. The fact that the victim was Armenian also suggests the attack may have been racist, the police say.