Natives of Chechnya suspected of involvement in ranks of Syrian militants

Two residents of Chechnya left for Syria and joined militants of a terrorist organization, investigators suggest.

Today, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been informed at the Investigating Department for Chechnya of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) that the Chechen law enforcement bodies have identified two residents of the republic participating in the Syrian conflict on the side of militants.

According to the spokesman of the ICRF's Department for Chechnya, the Chechen law enforcement bodies reported about a 40-year-old native of Grozny and a 25-year-old resident of the Narsky District of the Chechen Republic. "Earlier, the residents of the republic have secretly left for Syria. At present, [the suspects] are members of the 'Islamic State', a terrorist organization banned in Russia by the court, and take active part in the combat actions," the spokesman of the ICRF's Department for Chechnya reported.

The criminal cases are investigated under Part 2 of Article 208 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (participation in an illegal armed formation (IAF)), and the maximum punishment provided by the article is 15 years of imprisonment.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 3, 2020 at 12:50 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.