A man has been arrested after an Olympic bronze medallist figure skater was stabbed to death while challenging thieves stealing the mirrors from his car.

Nuraly Kiyasov, 24, was arrested in Kazakhstan today over the death of Denis Ten, known as the 'King of Ice', and 'confessed his guilt in the presence of an attorney'.

Police investigating the killing in Almaty, say they are searching for a second man after CCTV emerged showing the suspects.

Ten, 25, who had won bronze at the Russian Winter Olympics in 2014 and a host of other international honours, was attacked as he came home from a restaurant.

A man named as Nuraly Kiyasov, 24, has been arrested after an Olympic bronze medallist figure skater was stabbed to death while challenging thieves stealing the mirrors from his car

Denis Ten is pictured (right) with friends at a restaurant just minutes before he was killed

Ten, 25, who had won bronze at the Russian Winter Olympics in 2014 and a host of other international honours, was attacked as he came home from a restaurant

Police investigating the killing in Almaty, say they are searching for a second man after CCTV emerged showing the suspects

He surprised thieves stealing his car mirrors, sad police, and was attacked when he asked them to stop.

The skater was rushed to hospital in Almaty after the attack suffering from knife wounds and died two hours later. He had lost three litres of blood.

A video shows him enjoying a meal with friends less than two hours before the brutal attack.

The restaurant owner - a friend - only known by his Instagram nickname rus_libirry, said: 'He was a kind, sincere and a truly happy person. I still can't comprehend it, just can't.

'I am going through the video of that last lunch together and he is so alive….

'His last hours of life were full of laughter, fun and joy, he was just all that madly positive energy which he shared with everyone around him.

'Please someone tell me how could this have possibly happened, how in the middle of the day in the heart of the city is possible a robbery and a murder, how?

'Forgive me for not walking that way with you, my friend.'

Police detained one man aged 24 who confessed to the attack, said Almaty prosecutor Berik Zhuyriktayev.

Ten's death sparked national mourning in his native country. His bronze in Sochi in 2014 made him Kazakhstan's first Olympic medallist in figure skating

'The man is called Nuraly Kiyasov. He was born in Zhambylskaya district in 1994.

'He pleaded guilty. We are searching for the second suspect.'

The name of the second attacker is known, said police.

'The search for the second suspect is still on. But the man has already been identified. His detention is a matter of time, ' said a source.

Ten's death sparked national mourning in his native country.

His bronze in Sochi in 2014 made him Kazakhstan's first Olympic medallist in figure skating.

He had struggled with injuries in recent years and could manage only 27th at the Pyeongchang Olympics in February.

A civic funeral will be held on Saturday for the skater who was a national hero in Kazakhstan.