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Terrorists behind St. Petersburg metro blast sentenced from 19 years to life

The explosion killed 15 and injured 67 people

Abror Azimov and Shokhista Karimova Peter Kovalev/TASS

Abror Azimov and Shokhista Karimova

© Peter Kovalev/TASS

ST.PETERSBURG, December 10. /TASS/. Eleven suspects have been found guilty of their role in the April 2017 St. Petersburg metro blast and have been sentenced to between 19 years and life in jail, a district military court announced on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Abror Azimov was found guilty of bankrolling the terror attack and was sentenced to life in jail, according to a ruling by the Second Western District Military Court.

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His brother Akram and Mukhamadyusup Ermatov were sentenced to 28 years in a maximum security colony, while Ibragim Ermatov to 27 years. The only female suspect Shokhista Karimova was given a 20-year sentence, along with Azamzhon Makhmudov, Makhamadyusuf Mirzaalimov and Dilmurad Muidinov. Another defendant Sodik Ortikov was sentenced to 22 years, and Seifulla Khakimov and Bakhram Ergashev to 19 years in a maximum security colony.

All suspects have been ordered to pay fines ranging from 800,000 rubles ($12,500) to 500,000 rubles ($7,800). The court also satisfied a lawsuit by the St. Petersburg metro, which demanded a compensation of nearly 695,000 rubles ($11,000) from them.

The lawyers for the defendants have announced plans to challenge the court’s decision. "The sentence will be appealed," they said after the verdict was declared.

On April 3, 2017 a suicide bomber, Akbarzhon Djalilov, brought two explosive devices to the St. Petersburg metro. He left one bomb at a platform of a metro station, but it was found and safely defused. The man blew up the second bomb in a metro carriage between two stations. The blast killed 15 and injured 67 people.

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