Moscow attack renews serial killer fears

Police say the murders are unrelated

An attack on a young woman in Moscow has renewed fears of a serial killer in the Russian capital, who is thought to have murdered up to a dozen people in the past three months.

The latest victim, a 17-year-old, survived the attack on Tuesday night near the Botanical Gardens in the north of the city and was taken to hospital with stab wounds, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

Since the end of June, 12 women have been murdered around Moscow's northern and north-eastern suburbs, spreading panic among the city's young women.

Moscow's police has said that the killings are not linked, but the media and public appear convinced that a serial killer is at work.

'Two killers' theory

Newspapers have drawn attention to similarities in many of the deaths.

The killings all took place in northern suburbs of the city

They say all the women were either strangled or had their throats cut, and their jewellery was not stolen.

Most of the women were young and were walking alone at night in northern areas of the city.

Some Russian media - quoting investigators - have speculated that two different serial killers may be operating in the capital.

But officials are continuing to insist that the deaths appear unrelated.

"There is no maniac in Moscow," a police spokesman said in July.

A man had been arrested over one of the murders, and other suspects had also been detained, he said.

"This proves that there is no serial killer."

However, one source said to be a member of the investigating team told Interfax news agency that up to six of the women might have been killed by the same person, and investigators had requested all material related to those deaths.