MOSCOW, July 15 (Itar-Tass) - The adolescent accused of the murder of paratrooper Ruslan Marzhanov in the town of Pugachyov, Saratov region, is confessing to the crime.
"Suspect Ali Nazirov has begun to confess; at present, active investigative actions are being conducted with him," lawyer Oksana Mikhalkina, who represents the interests of the victim's mother, told Itar-Tass on Monday.
The 16-year-old native of Chechnya was charged under penal code Article 105, Part 1 /murder/.
His two brothers - Khamza and Airan Nazirov - were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a law-enforcement officer. According to the lawyer, the youngsters offered active resistance to police in the course of passport check within the framework of the murder probe and were detained. "There is information that investigators are checking them for involvement in the murder of Ruslan Marzhanov," Mikhalkina said.
There are four Chechen families living in Pugachyov which had nothing to do with the crime. "I'd like to clarify because many mass media reports were not accurate; the adolescent, accused of the murder of Ruslan Marzhanov and his arrested brothers are not local residents; they arrived from the village of Rakhmanovka, where their parents live, and which is located 100 kilometers from Pugachyov," the lawyer said.
"They came to Pugachyov with their friends to have fun. What happened in the cafe and what the motive was is still a mystery. The investigators are continuing to look into it. It is noteworthy that the guard at the cafe, upon seeing the conflict, pushed out the conflicting parties into the street, instead of taking measures to stop the incident," she went on to say, expressing the opinion that legal assessment will be given to the guard's action.
"As of now he is a witness in the case; the only one who saw everything and can clarify the situation; but he alleges that he saw nothing as he was at the lavatory at the time. I believe he might have come under pressure from the defendant," Mikhalkina said adding that the witness had been summoned for a second questioning.
At night on July 6, a row occurred between local resident Ruslan Marzhanov, 20, and a 16-year-old native of Chechnya who had come to the town. The adolescent repeatedly stabbed his opponent with a lancet in the chest. Marzhanov died in hospital. The suspect was detained on the same day, and a court sanctioned his arrest. Local residents staged spontaneous rallies in Pugachyov immediately after the murder.
The lawyer said Marzhanov had returned home after serving in a paratroopers' unit in the army and was enrolled as first-year student at the Saratov State University.
The Investigative Committee assigned the probe to experienced specialists from Moscow. The Investigative Committee will also clarify the circumstances that provoked mass protests.
According to the lawyer, the situation is under control, but tensions remain. "Fortunately, police and local and federal officials managed to calm down the most active protesters, but town residents continue to insist on eviction of the Chechen families," she said.