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Court to question student Karaulova accused of attempting to join IS

Varvara Karaulova was arrested on suspicion of links to the Islamic State terrorist group on October 28, 2015

Varvara Karaulova Dmitry Serebryakov/TASS

Varvara Karaulova

© Dmitry Serebryakov/TASS

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Moscow District Military Court will question Varvara Karaulova (Alexandra Ivanova) who is accused of attempting to join the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization (banned in Russia), Karaulova’s lawyer Sergey Badamishin told TASS on Thursday.

Basamishin reminded that defense insists that Karaulova is innocent.

Read also

Court extends arrest of Russian student accused of trying to join IS

Prosecutors and defense completed presentation of evidence in the case. It is expected that after Kraulova’s questioning, the sides will get an opportunity to declare additional information. After that, judicial investigation will be completed, and the court will assign a date for deliberations.

According to the indictment, Karaulova decided to join IS after joining the Badr group with the aim of performing subversive activities on the territory of Syria or Europe by the means of suicide bombing. On a social network, she contacted an unidentified person with the aim to join a group unit led by someone named Abdul Khakin.

Varvara Karaulova left home on May 27. She told her parents that he was going to the university and secretly left for Istanbul. On June 4, the Turkish branch of Interpol detained her and another 12 Russians when they were crossing Turkey’s southern border with Syria with an aim to join IS militants. She was returned to Russia by flight from Istanbul on June 12.

Karaulova was arrested on suspicion of links to the Islamic State terrorist group on October 28, 2015. Official charges were brought against her on November 10.

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