Suspect confesses in killing of Olympic figure skater Denis Ten, Kazakh authorities say

One of two men detained in Kazakhstan on suspicion of killing Olympic figure skating medalist Denis Ten has confessed to the slaying, authorities said Friday.

Prosecutor Berik Zhuyrektayev said in a televised statement that Nuraly Kiyasov “confessed his guilt in the presence of an attorney” while being questioned over the 25-year-old skater’s death Thursday in the Kazakh city of Almaty.

The prosecutor didn’t give further details of what exactly Kiyasov had said.

Police have also detained 23-year-old Arman Kudaibergenov in connection with Ten’s death, which has prompted national mourning. Authorities released a picture of the disheveled-looking Ten being held by masked men wearing body armor and camouflage uniforms.

Ten was stabbed after a dispute with people who allegedly tried to steal a mirror from his car in his home city of Almaty. He died in a hospital of massive blood loss from multiple wounds, Kazinform said.

Prosecutors are treating his death as murder.

Ten’s bronze medal in the 2014 Sochi Games made him Kazakhstan’s first Olympic medalist in figure skating. He struggled with injuries in recent years and finished 27th at the Pyeongchang Olympics in February.

UPDATES:

9:30 a.m.: This article was updated with the identities of the suspects and other information.

This article was originally published at 12:30 a.m.