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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Basayev formed special unit for Beslan |
| 2005-05-18 |
| Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Shepel told the court in Vladikavkaz that defendant Nurpasha Kulayev belonged to a group formed specially for capturing the school in Beslan by Shamil Basayev, Aslan Maskhadov and other Chechen field commanders. Shepel started reading the indictment against Kulayev in the North Ossetian Supreme Court on Tuesday. "Basayev, Maskhadov, Magomed Khashiyev and a Saudi Arabian national named Taufik al-Jadani, know as Abu-Dzeib - chiefs of numerous regular militant teams, in July to August 2004 planned a large-scale act of terrorism in North Ossetia involving hostage-taking and the murder of civilians and law enforcement officers," Shepel said. The organizers had the objective of undermining public security, intimidating the public and pressuring the authorities to withdraw federal troops from Chechnya, he said. "A group of over 30 persons from Chechnya, Ingushetia and other Russian territories and also foreign mercenaries was set up to carry out these criminal plans. Nurpasha Kulayev also joined in," Shepel said. At the beginning of the trial, responding to questions from the prosecution, Kulayev said he is married and has two children - a two- year-old son and one-year-old daughter. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |