A teenager was sentenced for plotting a terrorist attack in Sunzha.

A military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced a teenager from Ingushetia to eight years in prison, accused by security forces of involvement with militants and plotting a terrorist attack in Sunzha.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in late April, a case concerning the preparation of an attack on security forces and an Orthodox church in Sunzha was sent to court. By the end of the investigation, three junior defendants remained in the case, and the prosecution requested compulsory treatment for one of them.

The young man was accused of participating in a terrorist organization (Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code, which carries a prison sentence of ten to twenty years) and in an illegal armed group (Part 2 of Article 208 of the Russian Criminal Code, which carries a prison sentence of eight to fifteen years). He was also accused of preparing a terrorist attack and illegally trafficking weapons and explosive devices.

According to security officials, in August 2024, the accused and two other residents of Ingushetia joined an international terrorist organization. They then planned to commit a terrorist attack in Sunzha and prepared armed attacks against law enforcement officers.

The young men illegally acquired automatic firearms and explosive devices, hiding them in a hiding place on the outskirts of the Sunzhensky District of Ingushetia, according to a statement from the republic's Investigative Committee.

The 18-year-old defendant was sentenced to eight years in a general regime penal colony and a fine of 30,000 rubles. His case and the cases of two other defendants were heard separately; the case of the second accomplice is still pending in the same Southern Military District Court. The third, diagnosed with a mental disorder, has already been sent by the court for compulsory treatment, the department noted.

Caucasian Knot has no comment from the defendant or his lawyer regarding plans to appeal the verdict. Security forces announced the thwarting of a planned attack on an Orthodox church in Sunzha a month after the high-profile terrorist attack in Dagestan: on June 23, Holy Trinity Day, which is one of the main Christian holidays, militants committed attacks on synagogues and Orthodox churches in Derbent and Makhachkala. As a result, at least 22 people were killed and 46 were injured.

"Caucasian Knot" prepared reports "Key Information on the Participants in the Makhachkala and Derbent Attacks" and "Attacks on Churches, Synagogues, and Security Forces in Dagestan".