The first suspect in the Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow, which left 137 dead, was placed in pre-trial detention for at least two months on Sunday after being presented before a court in the Russian capital.
This first alleged assailant was placed in detention until May 22, a period which may be extended pending his trial for “terrorism”, the Basmanny court indicated in a press release.
According to him, this native of Tajikistan “pleaded fully guilty”.
A video released by the court
The first two suspects were brought Sunday evening before the Basmanny court in Moscow, which was to decide on their placement in pre-trial detention.
The judicial institution released a video showing police officers bringing the two handcuffed suspects into the courtroom, as well as photographs of the same men sitting in the glass cage reserved for the accused.
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One of the two suspects has a bandage on his ear, as in previous videos of the suspects' arrest released by investigators, where three of them appeared with blood on their faces.
According to Russian news agencies, these two suspects have been charged with “terrorism” and face life imprisonment.
In total, Russian authorities reported the arrest of 11 people, including four attackers, in connection with this attack.
An examination behind closed doors
Authorities said the suspects were “foreign citizens,” without mentioning their nationality.
According to Russian media and MP Alexander Khinstein, some of the suspects are from Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia with a Muslim majority neighboring Afghanistan.
Information that the court press release seems to confirm for at least one of the alleged attackers.
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The attack on Crocus City Hall was claimed by the Islamic State organization, but Russian authorities put forward a Ukrainian lead, saying the attackers were trying to go to Ukraine where they had contacts.
Ukraine vigorously denies any involvement in this attack, the deadliest in Russia since the early 2000s.