Tajik migrant arrested on charges of justifying the attack on Crocus

A 28-year-old migrant from Tajikistan has been arrested in St. Petersburg on charges of “justifying terrorism.”

The Oktyabrsky District Court of St. Petersburg has chosen a preventive measure for Tajik citizen Kudrat Kurbonov, who is accused of justifying a terrorist act at the “Crocus City Hall” in the Moscow region. He will remain in pre-trial detention until January 26.

According to the case materials, on March 24-25, 2024, the man published a series of messages in the Telegram messenger, in which he “justified the terrorists who shot at the visitors of the Crocus City Hall concert hall.”

The law enforcement agencies classified these statements as justifying terrorism and initiated a criminal case.

According to TASS, citing the migrant himself, he is a supporter of ISIS and intended to “fight against the infidels” and become a “shahid.”

Comments from Kurbonov himself or his relatives are currently unavailable. The court claims that he has admitted his guilt.

In March of last year, a 27-year-old Bahodur Zuhurov was detained in St. Petersburg on charges of justifying terrorism. According to the court, Zuhurov published text comments justifying the terrorist act at the “Crocus City Hall” in a Telegram chat.

Recall that on the evening of March 22, several individuals in camouflage opened fire with automatic weapons on people attending a concert by the band Piknik at the “Crocus City Hall” in Krasnogorsk, Moscow region. According to eyewitnesses, the shooters also threw Molotov cocktails, causing a fire in the venue. According to media reports, about 149 people died, including children, more than 609 were injured, and one person went missing. According to the Investigative Committee, the damage from the attack is estimated at over 6 billion rubles.

The investigation has charged 27 individuals in connection with the terrorist attack at the “Crocus City Hall” concert hall in the Moscow region. The majority of them are citizens of Tajikistan.

According to activists and the migrants themselves, since then, pressure, detentions, and bans on Tajik citizens entering the borders with Russia for various reasons have continued. Authorities often detain migrants merely on suspicion of “danger” or “violating administrative rules,” which raises serious concerns in Tajik society.