Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] Four supporters of the Islamic State have been convicted in Bruges. The group's leader, Chechen native Abubakar S., has been sentenced to 15 years, and his wife has been sentenced to eight years. Two other members of the group have been given suspended sentences, including Abubakar S.'s brother.
As the "Caucasian Knot" reported, in May 2023, the Belgian prosecutor's office announced the arrest of seven supporters of the "Islamic State", suspected of preparing a terrorist attack. Among the suspects are people from Chechnya. In July, it became known that three people from Chechnya were arrested.
A court in Bruges has sentenced members of a group who were found guilty of preparing a terrorist attack; among those convicted are natives of Chechnya, Kommersant wrote on September 9.
| Belgium has one of the largest Chechen diasporas in Europe, according to an article published on the "Caucasian Knot" entitled "How to travel to Europe and obtain refugee status." |
The alleged leader of the group, Abubakar S., was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and his wife, who also took part in the group's activities, was sentenced to eight years. Two other defendants, including Abubakar S.'s brother, were given suspended sentences and fined. One defendant was acquitted.
The group rented a garage to store weapons, studied police response times, and visited specific locations for various attacks. These locations included the Jewish quarter, a gay bar, a police station, and a NATO building.
Abubakar S. is recognized as a key figure in the group, he admitted guilt. In court, he stated that he wanted to "sow fear and damage the economy" of the country. At the court hearing, according to journalists, he behaved defiantly and insulted the judge. According to Abubakar S.'s lawyer, Piteryan Dens, the convicted man was especially dissatisfied with the sentence handed down to his brother, who, as he stated, had nothing to do with the case.
Belgium has one of the largest Chechen diasporas in Europe, according to an article published on the "Caucasian Knot" entitled " How to travel to Europe and obtain refugee status."
"Caucasian Knot" wrote that Belgian law enforcement agencies detained 16 Chechens suspected of extremist activity in June 2015. After a series of terrorist attacks in Brussels on March 22, 2016, people from the North Caucasus, in particular Chechens, faced sweeping accusations of involvement in terrorism, Sasha Koulaeva, head of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia department of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), told "Caucasian Knot".
In December 2016, a court in Bruges sentenced 12 Chechens to between 15 months and 10 years in prison for recruiting fighters to fight in Syria. Another defendant in the case was acquitted.
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