A 24-year-old African law student has been killed in a racist attack in Kazan, Russia, by a group of football hooligans on Monday 6 March.

According to the police investigation, the student, originally from the Republic of Chad, was the victim of a premeditated racist attack by 19-year-old Roman Khalilov.

Khalilov and 22-year-old Ruslan Arkhipov confessed to the killing. Both had been previously convicted for racist and xenophobic attacks.

Khalilov also admitted to have recruited a group of football hooligans to carry out the attack.

Speaking to a police investigator, the 19-year-old said he did not regret the attack and said he had previously planned other racial motivated crimes. He also admitted becoming a supporter of the St. Petersburg Nazi leader Dmitry Boroviko at the age of 13, when he decided to kill foreigners.

A series of arrests have been made since the attack, many involving men with criminal records for crimes of a racist and nationalist nature, hooliganism, robbery and the illegal storage of ammunition.

Kazan is one of the host cities of this summer’s FIFA Confederation Cup and FIFA 2018 Russia World Cup. The attack adds to concerns over safety around both tournaments for fans and visitors of ethnic minorities.