Two men have been detained in connection with the murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

Russian state TV Rossiya-24 quoted the head of Russia's Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, as saying that President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the detention.

"I would like to inform you that the work that has been conducted has resulted in two suspects in this crime being detained today. They are a Gubashev, Anzor and a Dadayev, Zaur," he said in a video posted on state TV Channel One's website.

Mr Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister and long-time critic of Mr Putin, was shot dead near the Kremlin in Moscow on 27 February.

It was not clear if either of the suspects was believed to have fired the shots that killed Mr Nemtsov, who was reportedly working on a report about Russian military involvement in the eastern Ukraine conflict at the time of his death.

On Tuesday hundreds of mourners queued to see the 55-year-old's body lying in state in central Moscow ahead of a burial at the Troekurovskoye cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

Leading Russian opposition figures have suggested the murder was politically motivated, although authorities deny any involvement, saying it could have been a provocation aimed at tarnishing Mr Putin's image.

Russia's top investigative body said it was investigating several possible motives and was looking into possible connections to Islamic extremism and Nemtsov's personal life.

The chief witness to the killing was Mr Nemtsov's Ukrainian girlfriend Anna Duritskaya, who has now left Russia.

His death sparked protests through the streets of Moscow with people carrying placards declaring "I am not afraid" and "He died for Russia's future".

On Tuesday, hundreds of mourners queued to see the 55-year-old's body lying in state in central Moscow ahead of a burial at the Troekurovskoye cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

Originally posted at 9.56am