Azerbaijan Criminal Court with the judge, Abid Ibdinbekov in charge has started hearing the case of the al-Qaeda members arrested in Azerbaijan. 16 persons are convicted, Trend reports.
Convicts include Azerbaijani, Turkish, Dagestan, Yemeni and Russian citizens (of Chechen origin). They are prosecuted by the article 120 (first count murder), 279 (creation of armed groups forbidden by the state), 228 (illegal purchase of firearms), 315 (resisting to the law enforcement/ using violence), 318 (illegal border crossing), 214 (terrorism), 320 (forging documents or usage of fake documents).
The preliminary investigation has been carried out by the Investigation Department of the Criminal office. It has revealed that the major meeting place of the group was Abu-Bakr mosque
in Baku. Thus, group members provided with weapons, ammunition, military garments, have been planning a number of actions in Azerbaijan and abroad including participation in military campaign in Chechnya. In order to achieve their aims group members have been delivering weapons, clothes and religious literature via Azerbaijan Dagestan border.
The criminal case materials also indicate that the passenger car with 5 members of the group has been detained by the police at the Nasimi district of Baku in July 2005. Suspects fired pistol at the police officers and one of them (police officer, Movlan Alibekov) has been injured. However, others managed to arrest the suspects.