A 26-year-old citizen of the former Soviet republic has been charged with justifying terrorism
Police officers stand guard near the burnt-out Crocus City Hall following a terrorist attack on the concert venue outside Moscow on March 22, Russia. © Sputnik / Grigory Sysoev
The Investigative Committee of the city of St. Petersburg has detained a citizen of Tajikistan for posting online comments in support of the deadly attack at Crocus City Hall outside Moscow.
According to a statement released by the committee, the 26-year-old, who does not have valid registration in Russia, has been charged with “justifying terrorism.”
Investigators say that over two days through March 25 the suspect posted online comments justifying the massacre by a group of gunmen at the Moscow-area concert venue.
On Friday, a group of terrorists armed with automatic rifles stormed Crocus City Hall ahead of a concert by the rock band Picnic, randomly shooting spectators and setting the venue on fire.
A total of 143 people have been confirmed dead so far, with nearly 200 injured, making it the deadliest terror attack in the country since the early 2000s.
Several suspects, including four directly involved in the assault, were later detained by Russian security services. They were intercepted hours after the rampage in a Russian region that borders Ukraine.
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A Moscow court has ordered the arrest of eight out of eleven of those detained. Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizod, Shamsiddin Fariduni and Muhammadsobir Fayzov, who allegedly carried out the assault on the venue, were charged with committing a terrorist attack resulting in the death of others. The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
