Pussy Riot linked to Russian murders after group's name found written in blood at crime scene

Feminist punk collective Pussy Riot has been linked to a murder, after a message in support of the group was found scrawled at a crime scene over the weekend. The slogan “Free! Pussy Riot”—which was written in English and "presumably" in blood, though that hasn't yet been confirmed—was discovered on the wall near two slain women in the Russian city of Kazan. Pro-Kremlin publicists have naturally latched onto the story, saying that this is indicative of the group’s dangerous radicalism, while some Russian newspapers ran with headlines saying the double homicide had been "inspired" or even "committed" by supporters of the group. (One pro-Putin blogger has already compared them to Charlie Manson.) Pussy Riot backers, meanwhile, say it’s all just a ploy by the killer to throw off police, with the band's attorney telling the Interfax news agency, "I am sorry that some freaks are using Pussy Riot's band name."