Prosecution in the case on attack on Nalchik: militants planned to create Islamic state

Now, at the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria, at the trial on the events on October 13, 2005, the state prosecutor is announcing the indictment as presented to the defendants. The basic leitmotif of the document - the defendants tried to dethrone the Russia's existing state order and create an Islamic state.

In particular, the indictment says that "from the end of 1999 till 2005, leaders of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria A. Maskhadov and Sh. Basaev, and Arabian mercenaries Abu-Al-Valid, Abu-Dzeit and others, created, in the territory of North Caucasian republics, a numerous organized criminal community for rendering armed resistance to federal forces and tearing the North Caucasian region away from the Russian Federation, with the aim to create a united Islamic state in this territory.

According to the prosecution, in this criminal business leaders of Chechen illegal formations were actively helped by resident of the Republic of Ingushetia Gorchkhanov and resident of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic Astemirov, "who headed a criminal organization, structurally consisting of an association of steady armed groups, having different names and each comprising mainly residents of one dwelling settlement or district."

It is also stated there that Astemirov and Gorchkhanov, together with the most active militants, had involved at least 250 persons in their activities, mainly residents of Kabardino-Balkaria.

It was also reported that on October 11, 2005, on a specially equipped base, located in the mountain-woody district, some 800 meters to the west from the border of the gardening cooperative "Truzhenik", in the south-western part of Nalchik, during their regular Majlis, they appointed the time and date of the attack - 9:15 a.m. on October 13, 2005. Also there, heads of groups and units were appointed, their roles and duties in the forthcoming attack were distributed.

See earlier reports: "SC of Kabardino-Balkaria refused to address Constitutional Court for legality of Criminal Code amendments," "Defendants in Nalchik attack case move numerous petitions," "SC of Kabardino-Balkaria rejects the challenge of prosecutor in Nalchik attack case."