Five citizens of Tajikistan and a Russian citizen have got lengthy jail terms on charges of plotting a terrorist attack against the Federal Security Service (FSB) headquarters in Moscow.
TASS reports a military court in Moscow sentenced five Tajik nationals – Manouchehr Buriyev, Rajabali Buriyev, Abdumalik Samiyev, Samandar Toshmurodov and Abduqodir Toirov – an a Russian citizen from Dagestan Republic, Gadzhimurad Gasanaliyev, to prison terms between 16 years and 22 years on December 14.
The sentence reportedly followed their conviction on charges of organizing a terrorist group and plotting a terrorist attack against the FSB headquarters on Lubyanka Square in downtown Moscow.
Manouchehr Buriyev was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
His cousin Rajabali Buriyev was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Samandar Toshmurodov was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Abdumalik Samiyev and Abduqodir Toirov were sentenced to 17 years in prison each.
Russian citizen Gadzhimurad Gasanaliyev was sentenced to 19 years in prison.
They will serve their terms in a high-security penal colony.
The court also imposed fines between 600,000 rubles and 1 million rubles on convicted criminals.
The defense lawyers reportedly insisted that the case was trumped-up for political reasons and the alleged crime was provoked by security officers.
TASS says the seventh defendant in this case, who is also citizens of Tajikistan Merob Haitov, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on November 1. The court also imposed a 500,000 ruble fine on him. His case was separated into separate proceedings since he entered into a pre-trial cooperation agreement with the investigation and testified against others.
