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Domodedovo airport bombing case parties to continue arguments

MOSCOW, October 30 (Itar-Tass) - Moscow regional court on Wednesday will continue to hear arguments of the parties in the case over terrorist attack at the Domodedovo airport in January 2011. The defendants and their lawyers are expected to make final statements.

At the previous hearing, prosecutor Gulchekhra Ibragimova demanded that Bashir Khamkhoyev and Islam Yandiyev be sentenced to life imprisonment, while Ilez Yandiyev and Akhmed Yevloyev be sentenced, respectively, to 23 and 10 years in prison.

Also, the prosecutor urged the court to meet the injured parties' damages suits seeking compensations from 100,000 to two million roubles and recover eight million roubles from the culprits in favor of the Domodedovo airport.

The aggregate sum that can be collected from the defendants exceeds 30 million roubles. Ibragimova insisted that the evidence fully proved the defendants' guilt and their conscious and organized actions to carry out a terrorist attack.

She noted that all the defendants were characterized as withdrawn and asocial people, who had been mediocre in studies and had no permanent job.

"All their financial problems ended after they joined the gang and began to prepare the terrorist attack," the prosecutor said.

The defendants are accused of the commission of a terrorist attack, murder, attempted murder, illegal acquisition, keeping and carrying firearms, ammunition and explosives and illegal bomb-making.

According to the investigators, Magomed Yevloyev, 21, set off a bomb fastened to his belt at Domodedovo's arrivals hall at around 16:30, Moscow time, on January 24, 2011. Its yield was two to three kilograms of TNT. The bomb was filled with destructive agents such as metal fragments and bearing balls.

Thirty-seven people died and another 172 were injured in the blast.

The investigators said the act of terror was organized by Imarat Kavkaz leader Doku Umarov; the gang led by Aslan Byutukayev and Supyan Abdullayev was subordinate to him. They chose Magomed Yevloyev as the suicide bomber. Dynamiters had used to receive 40,000 U.S. dollars for each act of terror or sabotage from a Georgian citizen in Turkey.

In all, the criminal group included some 35 people.

On March 28, 2011, 17 militants were destroyed in a special operation in Ingushetia. Investigators ascertained the identity of 28 members of Imarat Kavkaz, involved in the Domodedovo bombing.

The investigators said the four defendants who are now on trial, helped Yevloyev travel from Ingushetia to Moscow where they leased an apartment for him, passed him the bomb, selected the scene of the terrorist attack and sent Yevloyev to the airport in a taxi.

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