Organizer of Novosibirsk-based al-Qaeda cell sentenced to life imprisonment

10 August 2022

 

The court sentenced to life imprisonment the organizer of a Novosibirsk "sleeper cell" of the Sodiklar international organization, a member of the al-Qaeda international terrorist organization  (banned in Russia).  Two other members of the cell were sentenced to eight years in prison. This was reported to TASS in the press service of the Federal Security Service of the region.

 

"In August 2022, the 1st Eastern District Military Court for committing crimes under part 1, part 2 of article 208, part 1, part 2 of article 205.5 of the Criminal Code ("Organization of an illegal armed formation", "Organization and participation in the activities of a terrorist organization"), U. Atakulov <...> was sentenced to life imprisonment to be served in a penal colony of a special regime; Sh. Makhmudov and K Ulmasov -  to eight years in a penal colony of general regime," the report reads.

 

As a result of operational and investigative activities in July 2020, the employees of the FSB department of the Novosibirsk region identified and detained two members of the cell of the Sodiklar international organization, residents of Novosibirsk Kahramon Ulmasov and Sherzodbek Makhmudov. The investigation established that the regional cell was organized in 2012 by a Russian citizen who had documents in the name of Umar Khasanov. "The accomplices were engaged in recruiting mercenaries for combat operations against government forces in the territories of Afghanistan and Syria, financing international terrorist organizations, training in armed jihad, and spreading terrorist ideas with the aim of building a 'global caliphate,'" the report says.

 

During the investigation of the criminal case it was established that Ubaidullo Atakulov, who was on the wanted list for participation in the activities of the banned international terrorist organization Islamic Party of Turkistan in the territory of the former Soviet republics in 2006-2007, was hiding under the false identity of Umar Hasanov. He was also one of the organizers of the criminal group GTA in Moscow and the Moscow region, whose funds were used to finance terrorists. In 2014, he was convicted by a Moscow regional court for particularly grave common crimes.

 

Atakulov was sentenced to life imprisonment based on a sentence already handed down by the Moscow regional court.

 

 

GSV "Russia - Islamic world"

Photo: Racool_studio/Freepik

Based on materials from TASS