Four men, suspected of carrying out a terrorist attack on a concert hall near Moscow, killing at least 137 people, were arraigned in court and charged with committing a terrorist act. The men, who were originally from Tajikistan but worked as migrant laborers in Russia, were remanded in custody until May 22nd. The first two defendants pleaded guilty to the charges, while the other two did not specify a plea. The men appeared severely injured as videos of them being tortured during interrogation circulated on Russian social media.
One of the defendants, a 19-year-old barber named Muhammadsobir Z. Fayzov, was rolled into the courtroom on a wheelchair from a hospital emergency room. He appeared frail and injured, and spoke quietly and stammered in Tajik through a translator. Another defendant, 30-year-old Saidakrami M. Rachalbalizoda, had a large bandage on his head where interrogators had sliced off a part of his ear and forced it into his mouth. The judge only allowed parts of the hearing to be witnessed by the press, citing concerns about revealing sensitive details of the investigation.
The attack, which took place at a rock concert by the group Piknik, involved four gunmen opening fire and setting off explosive devices that caused the building to ignite and eventually collapse. Aside from the fatalities, there were 182 people injured, with more than 100 still hospitalized. The Russian authorities intercepted the car the four suspects were fleeing in, 230 miles southwest of Moscow. President Vladimir Putin suggested a link to Ukraine’s war effort, but the United States attributed the attack to the extremist group, Islamic State, who claimed responsibility.
The first defendant, Dalerjon B. Mirzoyev, had a temporary residence permit in Siberia which had expired. The second defendant, Rachabalizoda, was legally registered in Russia but did not remember where. The fourth defendant, Shamsidin Fariduni, worked in a factory in Podolsk and as a handyman in Krasnogorsk, where the attack took place. The Islamic State has been able to recruit many migrants from Central Asia in Russia who are often discontented due to facing discrimination.
The Islamic State has managed to recruit numerous followers from Central Asian migrant workers in Russia, many of whom feel marginalized and discriminated against. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has been cited as a possible motivation for the attack, with President Putin suggesting a link, while the United States attributes the incident to the Islamic State. The four suspects, originally from Tajikistan and working as migrant laborers in Russia, were arraigned in court and charged with committing a terrorist act. The men appeared severely injured, with videos of their torture during interrogation circulating on social media, and they have been remanded in custody until May 22nd.
The attack on the concert hall resulted in numerous casualties and injuries, with the assailants opening fire and setting off explosive devices that caused the building to collapse. Videos of the four defendants being tortured during interrogation have sparked outrage, with one defendant having part of his ear sliced off and forced into his mouth. The Russian authorities intercepted the suspects’ car as they were attempting to flee, leading to their arrest. President Putin has suggested a possible link to Ukraine’s war effort, while the United States attributes the attack to the Islamic State, who claimed responsibility for the tragic event.
