Court finds arrest of figurant of 2009 explosion of "Neva-Express" train lawful

The Moscow City Court has rejected the advocate's cassation complaint and upheld the arrest of Timur Kartoev, a defendant in the case dealing with the blowing up of the "Neva-Express" train in November 2009. Kartoev was behind bars on March 4 by the Basmanny Court of Moscow.

Let us remind you that on March 31 the ICPO of the Russian Federation presented charges of terrorism to 11 natives of Ingushetia-figurants of the case of blowing up the "Neva-Express" train in autumn of 2009.

According to the public prosecutor, Timur Kartoev is accused under the articles of "terrorism", "participation in illegal armed formations", "illegal storage of weapons and explosives," the "Interfax" reports.

Kartoev denies his guilt completely. "I don't know why I'm kept here," he said today during the court session. According to his story, early in the morning power agents arrived at his village to conduct a special operation. "We went out to the noise, and they took everyone who went out," he explained.

On March 4, the Basmanny Court of Moscow authorized arrest of 10 suspects of blowing up the "Neva-Express" train in 2009 - Zelimkhan Aushev and nine natives of Ingushetia - all of them Kartoev by surname, the ITAR-TASS reports.

The charge was presented to the residents of the Ingush village of Ekazhevo - members of the clan Khoartoi having the surname of Kartoev - and to their fellow countryman Aushev at the Moscow SIZO (pre-trial prison) "Lefortovo", where they were placed by decisions of the Basmanny District Court on March 3-4 this year, as reported by the newspaper "Kommersant".

Under the inspectors' version, the defendants took part - in this way or another - in blowing up the "Neva-Express" train in the 285th kilometre of the Oktiabr Railways (the Tver Region), where 27 persons were lost and 90 more persons were injured. Under the version of the investigation, they also organized an attempt on the following day on the operative-investigatory group, headed by the Chairman of the ICPO of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin, who came to study the place of the incident. As a result of the explosion of the second bomb, equipped with a telephone set in the alarm clock mode, Mr Bastrykin and other officials of the ICPO were slightly traumatized.

According to the investigation, the defendants made the bombs and brought them to the place of the terror act (both explosions were qualified under the article of "terrorism" and then united into one proceeding); they also were members of the illegal armed formation under command of Alexander Tikhomirov - the ideological inspirer and organizer of this and other grave crimes.

The defence refrains from comments, referring to the nondisclosure subscriptions they gave. The advocates just said that their clients refused to plead guilty and gave no evidences at interrogations, referring to Article 51 of the Constitution, allowing not to evidence against oneself and against one's relatives.