A citizen of Tajikistan in Russia has been accused of justifying the terrorist attack at “Krokus City Hall”

On March 27, a citizen of Tajikistan was detained in St. Petersburg for “justifying terrorism.” A criminal case has been initiated against him under part 2 of article 205.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and a decision is currently being made regarding his arrest. This was reported by the Investigative Committee for St. Petersburg.

According to Astra, the accused is 26-year-old Bahodur Zukhurov. He faces up to five years in prison. In a video released by the Investigative Committee, the man apologizes and says that such a thing “will not happen again.”

According to the investigation, he published a video of the terrorist attack at “Krokus City Hall” in a Telegram chat along with comments that “contain signs of justification” for the attack. What exactly those comments were and whether Zukhurov actually published them is unknown.

It was previously reported that a citizen of Tajikistan, Ahmad Faizulokhonzoda, would be deported from Russia, who allegedly was part of a Telegram group through which those accused of the terrorist attack at the Moscow region shopping center “Krokus City Hall” were recruited. He was also fined 5,000 rubles and placed in a temporary detention center for foreign citizens. This was reported on March 27 by the head of the press service of St. Petersburg courts, Darya Lebedeva.

According to her, the Tajik citizen was held accountable for violating migration legislation (part 3 of article 18.8 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation). In mid-January, Faizulokhonzoda arrived in Russia, obtained a work patent, but registered for migration not at his actual place of residence. However, this was not what attracted the attention of the security forces.

“Faizulokhonzoda is part of a group on Telegram where emissaries of the terrorist organization ISIS recruit individuals to carry out terrorist acts in the Russian Federation. The individuals who committed the terrorist act at ‘Krokus City Hall’ on March 22, 2024, were recruited in the same online community,” wrote official Lebedeva.