The lawyer for a Russian man accused of murdering human rights advocate Stanislav Markelov says he has confessed.

The man was arrested on Thursday along with another suspect. Mr Markelov was shot dead in broad daylight at the beginning of this year along with a female journalist. The head of Russia's intelligence service, the FSB, has hinted that the two detainees are nationalist extremists. A lawyer for one of the suspects has denied the allegation. Mr Markelov angered Russian nationalists by denouncing human rights abuses in the war in Chechnya. In one case, he fought a legal battle against the early release of a Russian soldier convicted of killing a Chechen girl.