Decisions Regarding Criminal Investigation

On the basis of procedurally established data regarding the role and degree of participation of the specified persons in the preparation and implementation of the investigated explosions, decisions were issued to bring charges against them under Part 3 of Art. 205 and Part 3 of Art. 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and to apply a preventive measure in the form of detention. All of them have been placed on Federal and international wanted lists.

Investigation Findings

In the course of the criminal investigation, it was established that:

• All the accused, after committing the crime, fled from the investigation and the court to the territory of the Chechen Republic.
• There, as part of illegal armed formations (IAF), they took an active part in combat operations against the federal grouping of Russian troops.
• A second criminal group of Gochiyaev was neutralized, with which he left the territory of Chechnya in February-March 2000 and conducted active preparations for the implementation of further acts of terrorism in the North Caucasus region and the city of Moscow.
• Facts of his involvement in the creation of an illegal armed formation on the territory of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic in the period 2000-2001, in illegal arms trafficking and an attempt on the life of law enforcement officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the KChR in June 2001, as well as in inciting national and religious hatred in 1998, were uncovered.

Extension of Case Term

Due to the fact that it was not possible to detain any of the wanted accused within the period specified above, on November 2, 2001, the term for the case was extended by the First Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation to 30 months, that is, until March 9, 2002.

Continued Investigation Efforts

During the extended period of the investigation, work continued to:

• Establish the location of the members of Gochiyaev's criminal group and their detention.
• Collect and document additional evidence on the acts incriminated to them.
• Identify the organizers of the investigated acts of terrorism and persons who provided assistance in the implementation of the criminal activities of the named accused in the period 2000-2001.

New Accusation

On January 8, 2002, a decision was issued to bring as an accused for committing crimes provided for by Part 1 of Art. 208 and Part 1 of Art. 30, Part 3 of Art. 33, Part 3 of Art. 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Abu al-Walid al-Ghamidi, a subject of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This individual:

• In January 2000, leading an IAF on the territory of the Chechen Republic and planning together with Khattab, Abu Umar and some other leaders of bandit formations the commission of further acts of terrorism in the city of Moscow and a number of other cities of the North Caucasus region.
• Directly supervised the preparation of the aforementioned second group of the accused Gochiyaev.
• Was engaged in supplying it with explosives, improvised explosive devices, weapons and funds.

With the sanction of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, a preventive measure in the form of detention was chosen for him, and he was declared wanted.

Further Evidence

In addition, the evidence obtained during the extended period clearly points to the fact that the direct organizers of the investigated acts of terrorism are foreign mercenaries of Arab origin Khattab and Abu Umar (according to ORU-2 of the FSB Department of Russia, [the latter] was killed in July 2001 during a counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya). Their connection with