Gochiyayev's Innocence and Allegations

• Gochiyayev does not mention that he is the imam of the first Wahhabi mosque in Karachay-Cherkessia and the leader of "Jamaat"—the extremist wing of the "Muslim Brotherhood" movement.
• Litvinenko demonstrated several photographs that allow for the identification of Achemez Gochiyayev's personality.
• According to him, an expert examination in London, conducted by independent expert Geoffrey John Oxlee, concluded that the photographs posted on the FSB website showing someone with Khattab are not Gochiyayev.
  • These photographs, the conclusion states, "are not originals and appear to have been digitally processed; otherwise, it is a photomontage."
  • This means evidence of a connection between Gochiyayev and Khattab simply does not exist.
• Gochiyayev himself claims that he did not undergo training in any terrorist training camp in Urus-Martan.
• He suggests questioning witnesses—relatives and acquaintances, employees of his firm "Kapstroy-2000"—who will confirm that since 1996 he lived in Moscow and never left.

Unpresented Evidence and Testimony

• The promised video recording, in which Gochiyayev confirms his testimony, was not presented.
• Litvinenko and Felshtinsky never answered the question "why"—they simply invited journalists to London for a copy, although it could have been posted on the Internet.
• Litvinenko, "as a former operational officer," is certain that Gochiyayev's testimony is very easy to verify:
  • Request the September call records for numbers 02, 03, and 911.
  • Request the transcripts of calls from Gochiyayev's mobile phone on September 13.
• Former FSB Lieutenant Colonel Litvinenko could not answer the question of why Gochiyayev did not name the person who offered him the basement rentals, but he provided the investigation with indirect evidence that makes it possible to identify him within 2–3 days.
• He also could not answer the main question: why Gochiyayev believes that this person, who "used him blindly," is an FSB officer.

Litvinenko's Assertions

• "I cannot assert that Gochiyayev is innocent," Litvinenko said.
• He claims to know the real culprits of the monstrous terrorist attacks in Moscow and Volgodonsk: FSB head Nikolai Patrushev and Vice Admiral German Ugryumov.
  • The former, according to him, exercised general leadership over the terrorist attacks.
  • The latter, who died in May of last year under unexplained circumstances, personally supervised the "projects."
• Litvinenko's certainty is based on the testimony of two other defendants in the bombing cases—Timur Bakchayev and Yusuf Krymshamkhalov, who, while on the run, also reached out to him and provided confessionary statements.
• Moreover, Litvinenko claims, "these people know everything about the terrorist attacks."
• Litvinenko gave no answer to the naturally arising questions of why these documents are not visible and whether they mention Gochiyayev and the degree of his guilt.
• He very uncertainly noted that he needs to care for his own safety and the safety of his family, so he will not publish the documents for now.

Calls for Transparency and Skepticism

• Both Litvinenko and Felshtinsky insisted that all steps of the public commission, witness interviews, and discussion of documents be "transparent" and take place in the presence of journalists.
• In this way, they want to avoid accusations of document falsification.
• Sergei Kovalev was amazed by these demands: "Your demands seem very strange to me, because by doing this you allow the people you suspect to calculate all your subsequent steps."
• The demand for wide publicity and the incomprehensible absence of the most "hard-hitting" documents—Gochiyayev's video recording and the written testimony of Bakchayev and Krymshamkhalov—find their explanation if one assumes that the main goal of Litvinenko and Co. was to maintain interest in the topic.
• Against the backdrop of the arrest in Azerbaijan and extradition to Russia of Adam Dekkushev, a direct participant in the Volgodonsk bombing, the "FSB fighters" had to put forward the next evidence for their version. That is why they waited so long, almost four months—timing it so as not to fire a blank.
• Members of the public commission intend to verify all documents presented by Litvinenko.
• However, according to its head Sergei Kovalev, the commission members will not be guided by either of the extreme versions: "the FSB is to blame for everything" or "Chechens organized the terrorist attacks."
• In the corridors, Kovalev expressed the opinion that the video link is simply a PR stunt by Litvinenko and Berezovsky.

**Sergei Kova

lev: "This is just a PR stunt by Litvinenko and Berezovsky"**
Photographer: Sergei Ponomarev/Gazeta

Series

"I cannot assert"

Photographer: Sergei Ponomarev/Gazeta
OLGA REDICHKINA

The Litvinenko Accusations

• The teleconference with London, during which former FSB Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Litvinenko once again accused the FSB of the apartment bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk, turned out to be a PR stunt.
• The testimony of Achimez Gochiyayev, presented by Litvinenko, cannot serve as evidence: in it, Gochiyayev only expresses the assumption that the person who instructed him to rent basements in Moscow buildings is connected to the FSB.
• Litvinenko cannot assess the degree of Gochiyayev's own guilt.

Background and Testimony

• Former FSB Lieutenant Colonel, now political emigrant Alexander Litvinenko promised to release another sensation on July 25 regarding who blew up residential buildings in Moscow and Volgodonsk two years ago.
• The teleconference with London, where Litvinenko now lives, was organized by the public commission for the investigation of terrorist attacks, created at the insistence of State Duma deputy Sergei Yushenkov.
• As a reminder, Yushenkov, along with Boris Berezovsky, is a co-chairman of the "Liberal Russia" party.
• Alexander Litvinenko presented confessions handwritten by Achimez Gochiyayev, whom the FSB is searching for as the main figure in the case of the Moscow apartment bombings.
• By the way, in the documents sent from London, Gochiyayev is written as Achimez, while he calls himself Achemez.
• According to Litvinenko, Gochiyayev reached out through intermediaries to Yuri Felshtinsky, an emigrant historian who co-authored the book "FSB Blows Up Russia" with Litvinenko.
• After some time, Gochiyayev — again through an intermediary — handed over materials, photographs, and videotapes to Felshtinsky.

Gochiyayev's Account

• From Gochiyayev's testimony, it follows that in 1999 he rented premises in the basements of Moscow buildings that were subsequently blown up, and in buildings where explosions were prevented — on Kashirka and on Borisovskie Prudy.
• An old acquaintance from school days, a certain [?] suggested he rent these premises as warehouses for food products that this person trades.
• After the explosions on Kashirskoye Highway and Guryanova Street, Gochiyayev realized that the buildings where he rented premises were being blown up and rushed to prevent new ones.
• He called the police, the ambulance, and the Rescue Service and reported the warehouses.
• After this, according to Gochiyayev, he was declared the main suspect and he has to hide.
• Gochiyayev claims that his sister was "frequently interrogated," offered money, then intimidated, in order to obtain testimony against him.
• In [that context?], her husband was sentenced to 13 years...