Three individuals confessed to orchestrating the terror assault at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall in Russia, which resulted in the deaths of more than 130 individuals on Friday.
According to reports from the New York Post, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19; and Shamsidin Fariduni, 25, all citizens of Tajikistan, were charged with committing a group terrorist attack by the Badmanny District Court on Saturday.
The accused, Mirzoyev, Rachabalizoda, and Fariduni, confessed to their involvement after facing charges. Faizov, the youngest among them, was wheeled into the courtroom with his eyes shut, having been transported from a hospital.
The charges against them carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and they will remain in pre-trial detention until May 22.
Reports surfaced that all four suspects appeared to have been subjected to physical abuse. Russian media outlets claimed they were tortured by security forces during interrogation. Additionally, there were unverified reports suggesting that Rachabalizoda had his ear severed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a national address on Saturday, confirmed the apprehension and arrest of the four suspects by Russian authorities on that day. Furthermore, seven others were detained under suspicion of involvement in the terror attack.
Putin asserted that the suspects were captured while attempting to flee to Ukraine, a claim vehemently refuted by Kyiv. He declared, “All the orchestrators, all those who are responsible for this crime, will inevitably be found responsible. They will pay. We will identify everyone who stands behind the service, and they will pay.”