MOSCOW, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Basmanny district court in Moscow on Thursday authorized an arrest in absentia of the alleged organizer of the St. Petersburg metro blast in 2017, Russian media reported.

Policemen and firemen stand outside the metro station where a blast went off in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 3, 2017. (File photo: Xinhua)

Sirozhiddin Mukhtarov, the Kyrgyz-born suspect on the federal and international wanted list, is a member of the Jama'at Al-Tawhid wal-Jihad terrorist group, according to the RT news channel.

"The petition of the investigation to select for Mukhtarov the measure of restraint in the form of imprisonment in absentia for two months was satisfied," the judge of the court Elena Lenskaya was quoted by Tass news agency as saying at the courtroom.

The term of detention will be calculated from the moment of extradition of the accused to Russia's territory, namely, from the moment of crossing the Russian border by the accused or from the moment of his detention on Russia's territory, according to the court's decision.

Mukhtarov's whereabouts are currently unknown.

The suspect is reportedly accused of 12 crimes of terrorist nature, including the organization of a terrorist community, illegal manufacture of weapons, the promotion of terrorist activities and a number of others.

A file on the court's website showed that Mukhtarov was charged with recruiting terrorists, in accordance with which he faces up to 15 years in prison.

An explosion took place in a train carriage on the runway between two metro stations in St. Petersburg on April 3, 2017, killing at least 14 people and injuring over 50 others.