15:00, 22 November 2016

Zakaev confesses of carriage firearms for "Nord-Ost" capturers

Portraits of victims of the terror act in Dubrovka Theatrical Centre in October 2002. Photo: Ivan Trefilov (RFE/RL)

In 2002, Khasan Zakaev with militants intended to capture not the Dubrovka Theatrical Centre, but the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the prosecutor said in court. Zakaev has confessed of transporting the firearms only, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from the courtroom.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in December 2014 the criminal investigation into the terror act committed during a performance of the musical "Nord-Ost" was resumed after detention of a native of Chechnya Khasan Zakaev, accused of helping the capturers of the theatre centre. Khasan Zakaev is accused of helping the capturers of the Dubrovka Theatrical Centre in 2002.

On October 23, 2002, during the musical "Nord-Ost", staged at the Dubrovka Theatre Centre, militants took 916 people as hostages. Three days later, during a special operation to free the hostages, 130 people died, and over 700 others were injured.

Today, at the court session, Khasan Zakaev has partially pled guilty.

"I plead guilty partly," said the defendant, noting that he had just transported firearms and ammunition.

"I was not aware of the fact that in 2000-early 2001, persons, unidentified by investigators, leaders of illegal armed formations (IAFs) and separatists created a criminal community in order to exert pressure on Russian authorities... I transported the weapons, but I deny other charges," Zakaev said.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Author: Oleg Krasnov

Source: CK correspondent