20:49, 21 April 2016

Relatives of suspects of plotting terror act in Moscow declare their innocence

Svetlana Gannushkina and the advocates of the suspects of plotting terror act in Moscow at the press conference. Moscow, April 21, 2016. Photo by Vyacheslav Feraposhkin for the "Caucasian Knot"

The case against a group of Muslims, mostly natives of Northern Caucasus, accused of plotting a terror act at the "Kirgizia" cinema, has been completely fabricated. This was declared at the press conference in Moscow by relatives and advocates of the defendants.

The trial in the case was started on September 22, 2015. All 15 defendants are kept in custody for 2.5 years already. The indictment states about their involvement in the organization "Al-Takfir wal-Hijra" (banned in Russia).

According to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, the innocence of the Tekilov brothers was declared by their mother Patimat Isaeva. According to the woman, her children "are brought up as honest people, and they always professed the traditional and not extremist concept of Islam."

The weapons are planted to the defendants, and the accusations of extremism are unfounded, state the advocates. Earlier, Vitaly Ponomaryov, an expert on Islamic extremism, has voiced the doubts about the very existence of the grouping "Al-Takfir wal-Hijra", which is mentioned in the indictment in the case.

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

Author: Vyacheslav Feraposhkin

Source: CK correspondent