KIEV, August 22 (Itar-Tass) — Adam Osmayev, suspected of masterminding the plot to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin, has asked Georgia to grant him political asylum, Osmayev's common law wife Amina Okuyeva told a Ukrainian television channel on Wednesday.
Okuyeva said the documents requesting political asylum are already under review by Georgian officials. "If Georgia refuses political asylum to Osmayev, he will forward a similar request to Finland," she added.
Earlier, Ukraine's migration service refused to consider Osmayev's request for political asylum, according to Okuyeva.
On August 14, the appeals court of the Odessa region ruled to extradite Osmayev to Russia and turned down the suspect's complaint. However, Ukraine then suspected the extradition following recommendations by the European court of human rights.
Spokesperson for the Ukrainian prosecutor general Margarita Velkova, "Osmayev's defense complained to the European court over the ruling by the appeals court of the Odessa region, which had issued the resolution to extrasite the suspect to Russia."
In this connection, the European court asked Ukraine for documents on the case, and recommended to suspend extradition for the period of their review.
On March 1, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office /PGO/ reported that it had received Russia's request to extradite Adam Osmayev, a 31-year-old Grozny resident.
In February, Osmayev was detained in Ukraine on suspicions of illegal keeping of explosives; police also ascertained his involvement in preparing an assassination attempt on the life of Vladimir Putin.
On February 27, media outlets reported that an assassination plot against Putin had been exposed. On January 4, an explosion ripped through an apartment in Odessa, and two days later, Ukraine's Security Service advised its FSB colleagues. Police found in the apartment bomb parts. Ruslan Madayev, who had rented the apartment, was killed in the explosion while the second victim, Ilya Pyanzin, survived.
They came to Odessa together from the United Arab Emirates via Turkey with "clear instructions from representatives of terrorist Doku Umarov.
Adam Osmayev, who was injured in the blast, escaped. Odessa police then asked citizens to help find two very dangerous criminals: Adam Osmayev and Aslanbek Osmayev, natives of Chechnya.
In a joint operation by Russian and Ukrainian secret services, Adam Osmayev was detained in an Odessa apartment. He had been wanted by Interpol since 2007.
He began to cooperate with the investigators and told them that the "final objective was to come to Moscow and try to assassinate premier Putin."
Osmayev said he had no intention to become a suicide bomber, and that Ruslan Madayev was ready to become one.
According to secret services, Osmayev lived in London for a long time. He was terrorists' liaison man in Odessa and an instructor. He had to train terrorists and ferry them to Moscow.