Russia: Alleged co-organizer of 2002 Moscow theater attack arrested
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 17 December 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russia: Alleged co-organizer of 2002 Moscow theater attack arrested, 17 December 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/54be13024.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
December 17, 2014
A Russian court says a suspected organizer of a deadly 2002 hostage siege at a Moscow theater has been arrested.
The Moscow City Court said on December 17 that Khasan Zakayev had been placed in pretrial detention in mid-November for a period ending on February 18.
Zakayev, a 41-year-old native of the Chechnya region, is charged with perpetration of a terrorist attack, membership in an illegal armed group, and illegal weapons possession.
Some 50 militants took an audience of more than 700 people hostage at the Dubrovka theater to demand the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya.
The siege left 130 hostages and 40 attackers dead, the vast majority of them from the effects of a toxic gas Russian security forces pumped into the theater before storming it.
None of the other alleged organizers of the attack has been apprehended.
Six people were convicted as accomplices from 2003-2007 and sentenced to prison terms of up to 22 years.
Based on reporting by Kommersant and Interfax
Link to original story on RFE/RL website