A resident of Chechnya confesses to connections with Syrian militants

The North-Caucasian District Military Court has started a consideration of the case against Shamil Soltamuradov, a 28-year-old resident of Gudermes. He is accused of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization in Syria and attending a training there.

According to a public prosecutor, on August 21, 2014, Shamil Soltamuradov, "sharing the religious ideology of an extremist nature," flew from the city of Mineralnye Vody of the Stavropol Territory to Istanbul and then moved to Syria. There, in October, he joined the "Badr" unit of the IS (the organization is banned in the Russian Federation) which consisted of people from Northern Caucasus and was led by a Chechen resident, also known as Abu-Umar the Terrible.

Then Shamil Soltamuradov "repeatedly joined various terrorist groupings." Meanwhile, he "protected the militants' positions and participated in the battles with the government forces of Syria and Iraq," and also "provided militants with food, clothing, and equipment."

In 2016, according to the public prosecutor, the defendant moved to Germany and lived in a migration centre, but was later detained.

Shamil Soltamuradov pleaded guilty in part. According to him, he did not attend any training at a militant camp.

"Shamil was deceived by videos on the Internet prompting him to leave for Syria ... His young age played its role," noted advocate Elvira Aidinova.