Four men suspected of carrying out a bloody attack on a concert hall near Moscow that killed not less than 137 people were brought before a district court on Sunday evening and charged with committing a terrorist act.
According to state and independent media reporting on proceedings before the Basmanny District Court, the 4, who got here from Tajikistan but worked as migrant staff in Russia, were temporarily detained until May 22. They face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The court’s press service only reported that the primary two defendants, Dalerjon B. Mirzoyev and Saidakrami M. Rachalbalizoda, pleaded guilty to the fees. No charges were identified against the opposite two, independent news site Mediazona reported.
As each of them was led into the courtroom individually, the boys gave the impression to be severely bruised and injured. Videos of their torture and beatings during interrogation have spread widely on Russian social media.
Reports show that Muhammadsobir Z. Fayzov, a 19-year-old hairdresser and the youngest of the defendants, was wheeled into the courtroom from the hospital emergency room in a tall orange wheelchair under the care of a doctor. He sat propped up in a wheelchair inside a glass defendant’s cage, wearing a catheter and an unbuttoned hospital gown, along with his chest partially exposed. According to Mediazona, often speaking in Tajik through a translator, he answered questions on his biography quietly and stuttered.
Reports indicate that Rachabalizoda, 30, had a large bandage hanging from the correct side of his head. Interrogators cut off part of his ear and stuffed it into his mouth, and the cut was captured on a video that spread on the Internet.
The judge allowed the press to witness only part of the hearings, citing concerns that sensitive details of the investigation might be revealed or the lives of court staff might be put in danger. This shouldn’t be an unusual ruling in Russia.
Russia’s Federal Security Service announced on Saturday that 11 people had been detained, including 4 defendants who were arrested after their getaway automobile was intercepted by authorities 330 km southwest of Moscow.
During the attack that took place on Friday evening, 4 armed men opened fire within the hall just as a rock concert by the group Piknik was about to start out. They also set off explosive devices that caused the constructing to catch fire and ultimately cause the roof to collapse. According to the regional health ministry, along with the fatalities, 182 people were injured and greater than 100 remain in hospital.
