"I really needed money"

The accused in the Nord-Ost case explained why he helped terrorists

On November 24, in the Moscow District Military Court, the interrogation of Hassan Zakayev, accused of preparation for the terrorist attack on the Nord-Ost musical in 2002, was interrogated. The defendant (he was hiding from the investigation since 2002 and was detained in December 2014 in Crimea) is accused of involvement in the seizure of the theater center on Dubrovka, an explosion of McDonald's on Pokryshkin Street and several failed terrorist attacks. Zakaev rejects the accusations against him - he says that he only transported weapons to Moscow, while not knowing what exactly was lucky and why. Medusa talks about the process of the process.

Hassana Zakayev was detained in December 2014 while trying to enter Crimea from Ukraine with a fake passport.

In the Moscow District Military Court, a native of Chechnya is accused of participating in the hostage captures during the Nord-Ost musical from October 23 to 26, 2002 (130 people officially died), in the explosion of a car near McDonalds on Pokryshkin Street in Moscow on October 19, 2002 (one person died) and several failed terrorist attacks.

Zakaev himself agrees with the accusation only partially - at the previous court hearing, which took place on November 22, he admitted that he was transporting weapons to Moscow, but rejected the accusations of participating in the criminal community, preparation for the attack, and aiding in the seizure of hostages, attempts for murder and aiding with terrorists.

On November 24, Zakaev in court read out his testimony on a piece of paper. “In the summer of 2001, I transported weapons and ammunition in Moscow in the car tank, but I did not know that the tank was equipped as an explosive device,” Zakaev began. According to him, he did not know anything that the leaders of the Chechen separatists planned terrorist attacks in Moscow. Then, according to investigators, two cars with bombs laid in a gas tank should explode near the State Duma and on Bolshaya Bronnaya Street; This did not happen, because instead of plastic, terrorists mistakenly bought his dummy.

“As for the events of 2002,” Zakaev only once in a half -hour speech came off the paper and looked at the victims (there were a dozen people who suffered in the Dubrovka terrorist attack and their relatives). “I did not know that the [field commander Shamil] Basayev gathering a group for conducting terrorist attacks and capturing hostages in Moscow, not setting bombs in cars, plans for conducting terrorist attacks were not discussed with me.”

The defendant noted that he only transported weapons and ammunition - however, not in the trunk, filling them with apples, as the accusation believes, but in a gas tank. He did not hear anything about explosives and detonators of Zakayev and refused himself involved in the “weapons of the persons who captured the hostages”.

Further, Hassan Zakaev told how he began to transport weapons. According to him, in 1999, he and his relatives left the Chechen war to Ingushetia. In Ingushetia, he talked a lot with Aslambek Khashanov (in 2006 he was sentenced to 22 years in prison for organizing a terrorist attack on the Nord-Ost musical). He asked Zakayev several times to go to Chechnya to his relatives, and in 2001 he offered to take “something” to Moscow for $ 800.

“He made it clear that the load is unusual. I said that I would think about it, but I assured that in any case I would not agree to the transportation of drugs. He said that these are not drugs; He spoke vaguely, from his words it was clear that we were talking about weapons, probably pistols and ammunition. Then my family and I lived in a refugee camp, received products as humanitarian assistance, and existed on them. Mother was sick heavily. I really needed money, ”said Zakaev.

According to him, in two days he reached Moscow. In the apartment where he stopped, there were also the Brothers Mezhiev, Aslan Murdalov (received from 18 to 22 years in prison as part of the same case as Khaskhanov) and Gerikhan Dudaev (on the international wanted list). Zakaev knew the last two and was surprised when he saw them, but he did not show them. The next day, at the request of Khashanov, who was also in Moscow, he went back to Ingushetia. Nobody spoke about terrorist attacks or explosives in Zakaev. The investigation, however, believes that Zakayev not only knew about the preparatory explosions, but also personally installed detonators on Bucky together with Dudaev.

For the transportation of Zakayev, he was able to get only half of the promised money from Khaskhanov and after that "decided not to have things to do with him."

In 2002, Zakaev continued to live with his family in Ingushetia, unsuccessfully trying to find work and interrupted by random earnings. At the end of summer, Dudaev turned to him with a request to take a weapon in the gas tank to Moscow again. He agreed again, because "his mother was getting worse."

In Moscow, Zakaev and Dudaeva was met by Ruslan “Abubakar” Elmurzaev (organizer of the attack, killed during the assault on the special forces). He had a reputation as a “man who has engaged in Moscow in Moscow,” and therefore he allegedly did not cause Hassan Zakayev “associations with militants”.

The next three trips of Zaev with Dudaev were made from the Voronezh region. According to Zakayev, he still knew nothing about the contents of the gas tank. Eachmurzaev met them each time in Moscow - in different places. On the last trip, Zakayev was asked to help remove the tank from his car; So he allegedly saw the contents for the first time-“two or three pistol handles” stuck out from under a piece of the skin.

On October 16, 2002, on the eve of the departure of Zakayev in the Nazran from Moscow, Alikhan Medzhiev asked him to help with the purchase of a car. Its owner was a woman, and Medzhiev was afraid that, seeing that the buyer is a Caucasian, she would refuse the deal. Zakaev "looked like Russian." The purchased "Tavria" Zakaev with his acquaintances was parked at an unknown parking lot. Three days later, this Tavria exploded near McDonald's on Pokryshkin Street, the seventeen -year -old young man died.

“Even when there were reports of an exploded car and the capture of hostages, I did not suspect that I was involved in this. Suspicions appeared when I found out that Murdalov and Medzhievs were detained. I tried to contact Dudaev, but could not. Only then I understood everything and went to Baku on November 7, 2002. That's all, ”Kogaev finished.

The lawyer and the state prosecutor had no questions to the defendant (the investigation believes that Zakayev was aware of the preparatory attacks and in 2002-and received five thousand dollars for work). Then a presiding judge addressed him.

- Zakaev, why did you decide that in 2001 it was precisely the weapon?

- Understand that before the start of the war, people traded either fruits, or drugs, or weapons. Dudaev did not say what was in the tank - I thought that either a large amount of money or firearms. Subconsciously bowed to the second.

- You thought why it was necessary to have this weapon in Moscow?

“I thought I was taking him for sale.”

- Who, for example?

- I don't know. Your honor, I almost did not think about it. As I said, then in Chechnya weapons were in the order of things, it was sold and bought everywhere.

The judge asked several more clarifying questions, including his flight from Russia. Zakaev said that he could still not convince law enforcement agencies of his innocence, because "there was too much resonance after the tragedy." In 2003, when he was put on the international wanted list, Zakaev moved to Ukraine and made a fake passport. With him he was detained on the border in the Crimea.

-From the very beginning, I could not believe that my ad on the wanted list was not some kind of joke. [In 2014] I thought so much time had passed - they were no longer looking for, ”said Zakaev.

The next stage of the process is the interrogation of witnesses and almost eight hundred victims; Half of them has not even noted that the trial is going on. The next meeting will be held on November 28.

Evgeny Berg

Moscow