Kyrgyzstani Abror Azimov, who was accused of organizing a terrorist attack in St. Petersburg metro in April 2017, testified in court for the first time and stated that he had been beaten the testimony out. Fontanka media outlet reports.
«I’m not an organizer, not an accomplice, I didn’t make anything and didn’t carry weapons. I am an ordinary hardworking family man, who was arranging life in Russia,» said Abror Azimov.
According to the investigation, then he became interested in radical Islam. A couple of years later, he underwent the rite of passage into terrorists in Turkey, and in 2017, he became a connection man between one of the organizers of the terrorist attack in St. Petersburg metro Bobirjon Makhbubov called «Akhmat» and an alleged perpetrator Akbarjon Jalilov.
The prosecution believes that it was he who, on the eve of the attack, instructed the suicide bomber during a telephone conversation.
«It is illogical that a person who has been trained will be taught by one who has not passed any training,» Abror Azimov pointed out «young shahid» course that Jalilov allegedly took in Syria. «I did not even serve in the army. I left to work at 16. We bought my military card. We have an alternative in Kyrgyzstan: pay taxes if you do not serve in the army.»
A video of his detention, dated April 17, 2017, was sent out by the Federal Security Service. However, Abror Azimov claims that his communication with the security forces began earlier. And the detention has passed strictly according to a scenario: he had been languishing at «FSB secret prison» for 2 weeks, was brought to the place and handed instructions.
First, he was asked to identify a person on a photo whom he did not know. They shocked. «I didn’t even understand what was going on. All my muscles were numb. It turned out that they shocked me. He began to beat me on the head saying: look at it, look!» said Abror.
The defendant stated that he was tortured until he begged: «I will do whatever you want, just stop torturing me.»
The presiding judge Andrey Morozov did not allow to tell about the torture in detail.
Earlier, other persons involved in the case claimed torture in the «secret prison» of the FSB: brother of Abror Akram Azimov said that he was tortured with electric shockers and handcuffed to a pipe.
Abror Azimov was officially interrogated on April 17 by the Investigative Committee. He partially pleaded guilty, but at the pre-trial stage he withdrew his testimony. He told the court that he dared to do it after his father was deported from Russia. Previously, they allegedly threatened to plant a fire extinguisher disguised as explosives to his father.
Asimov denies acquaintance with Jalilov. As the case file says, he has transferred a total of about $ 3,000 to his card, but had never spoke to him personally.
Abror Azimov admitted in court that he was familiar with a man named Akhmad (terrorist recruiter, according to investigators), but was only his «ticket reseller partner» on the Internet. The accused admitted that he was sending money to Turkey and activated an unregistered SIM card, but claimed that he did it to help his friends.
«This is speculation. My child was born, I am a happy father, and there are some radical trends. They have distorted everything so much that I am a terrorist for the people now,» Abror said, commenting on the allegations of the investigation.
The trial will continue on October 21.
- An explosion in a subway car on Sennaya Ploshchad — Technological Institute stage occurred on April 3, 2017. Akbarjon Jalilov, a 22-year-old Kyrgyzstani, was identified as suicide bomber, 15 passengers died with him. The court has been hearing the criminal case, in which 11 of his alleged assistants are involved, since April.
