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Moscow court to begin trial of attempted train blast case

The trial will be held behind closed doors

MOSCOW, October 18 (Itar-Tass) — The Moscow City Court on Thursday will begin to review, on the merits, the criminal case against four suspects, accused of the attempt to blast the Sapsan bullet train in the Moscow region, the court's press service told Itar-Tass.

"In connection with the fact that the case materials are marked "confidential," the trial will be held behind closed doors," the Court's press service said.

The persons in the prisoner's dock are Islam Khamzhuyev, Fail Nevlyutov, Mansur Umayev and Mansur Edilbieyv. They are accused of attempted act of terror, banditry and illegal turnover of weapons. On top of that, Khamzhuyev, Umayev and Edilbiyev were charged will bomb-making, and Nevlyutov - with participation in illegal paramilitary formations. Khamzhuyev was accused of funding an illegal paramilitary formation and participation in it.

Preliminary investigation ascertained that in June 2011, Khamzhuev entered a stable armed group that was given task by a senior military from the Imarat Kavkaz terrorist organization to blast the Sapsan bullet train en route between Moscow and St Petersburg.

"As he was fulfilling the instruction, Khamzhuyev, together with Nevlyutov, Umayev and Edilbiyev -- who had joined the gang of their own accord -- rented an apartment in Moscow where they made an explosive device with a yield of over 10.5 kilograms of TNT.

"Khamzhuyev, Nevlyutov, Umayev and Edilbiyev then drove into the Moscow region where they selected a place to plant their bomb, on the stretch between the Leningradkoye and Pyatnitskoye highways. They also marked the time when the train was passing that place," a prosecutor said earlier.

Khamzuyev passed the bomb to Edilbiyev, Nevlyutov and Umayev and ordered to use a remote control unit to blast the train.

The crime was not carried through because of the extraneous circumstances, as Federal Security Service agents found and defused the bomb that was hidden on the premises of a Moscow park. The suspects the detained. The preliminary probe was handled by the Federal Security Service.

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