Resident of Chechnya convicted of trying to join militants

The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced Ali Yakhyaev, a native of Chechnya, to five years in a high security colony, having found him guilty of trying to go to Syria in order to join a terrorist organization there.

Ali Yakhyaev, 25, a native of the village of Kakadoy, Itum-Kali District of Chechnya, was accused of an attempt to join a terrorist organization (Part 1, Article 30, – Part 2, Article 205.5, of the Russian Criminal Code), and an attempt to take part in an illegal armed formation (IAF) (Part 1, Article 30, – Part 2, Article 208, of the Criminal Code). The maximum punishment under these articles makes up to 20 and up to 15 years of freedom deprivation, respectively.

"It has been established that in 2019 the convict got registered, by using his mobile phone, in one of the social networks aiming to search for a person who would help him get into Syria to join some IAF (later recognized as a terrorist organization). He entered into correspondence with an IAF member who instructed him on how to get ready for the travel. The convict accumulated money and booked air tickets for March 2021, about which he informed the IAF member; however, he was detained by law enforcers," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the press service of the above Military Court.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 22, 2021 at 05:49 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.