On March 27th, a Tajikistani citizen was detained in St. Petersburg for allegedly justifying a terrorist act. He is facing criminal charges under Article 205.2 Part 2 of the Russian Criminal Code, and the issue of his arrest is currently being resolved by the Investigative Committee of St. Petersburg.
According to Astra, the accused is 26-year-old Bahodur Zukhurov. In a video posted by the Investigative Committee, the man apologizes and states that such actions will not be repeated.
The investigation alleges that he shared a video of the terrorist act at "Crocus" in a Telegram chat along with comments that "contained signs of justification" for the act. The specifics of these comments and whether Zukhurov actually posted them are still unknown.
If convicted under Article 205.2 Part 2 of the Criminal Code, he could face up to seven years of imprisonment.
Earlier, it was reported that a Tajikistani citizen, Ahmad Fayzullokhonzoda, would be deported from Russia for his alleged involvement in a Telegram group through which individuals involved in the terrorist act at the "Crocus City Hall" shopping center near Moscow were recruited.
He was also fined 5,000 rubles and placed in a temporary detention center for foreign citizens. This information was disclosed on March 27th by the head of the press service of St. Petersburg courts, Daria Lebedeva.
According to Lebedeva, Fayzullokhonzoda was held accountable for violating migration legislation (Article 18.8 Part 3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation). In mid-January, he arrived in Russia, obtained a work permit, but failed to register at the place of his actual residence. However, as emphasized by Lebedeva, this was not the reason for the attention from law enforcement.
"Fayzullokhonzoda is a member of a Telegram group where emissaries of the terrorist organization ISIS recruit individuals to commit terrorist acts in Russia. The individuals who carried out the terrorist act at 'Crocus City Hall' on 22.03.2024 were recruited from the same online community," she writes.
