Investigation into attack on the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria is over

Ivan Sydoruk, Deputy General Public Prosecutor of Russia has approved the indictment on the criminal case on the armed attack on the city of Nalchik, capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, on October 13-14, 2005. The statement of the Chief Department of the State Office of Public Prosecutor in the South Federal District runs that in the course of preliminary investigation it was established that the attack had been accomplished by representatives of armed criminal groups in the number of at least 250 persons under command of Aslan Maskhadov, Shamil Basaev, I. Gorchkhanov, A. Astemirov, and also foreign citizens Hattab, Abu Al-Valid and Abu-Dzeit, who "targeted to violently change the constitutional order of Russia, break its territorial integrity and form an Islamic state in the territory of Northern Caucasus."

In the course of investigation, over 120 surveys of the places of incidents and 1600 various examinations were conducted, over 400 persons were recognized as victims, and almost 2500 witnesses were interrogated.

Currently, 59 persons have been brought to criminal responsibility under charges of organizing a criminal community, taking hostages, armed rebellion, committing acts of terror, encroachment on the life of employees of law enforcement bodies, murders and others grave and especially grave crimes. In relation to 13 defendants, the criminal prosecution was stopped because of application of the amnesty act, in relation to 95 other persons - because of their death. Fourteen accused persons have been announced into international federal search.

After serving the copies of the indictment to all the defendants, in September the criminal case will be delivered to the Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic for consideration by its merits, the "Gazeta.Ru" reports.