Explosions In Moscow And Volgodonsk Engineered By International Terrorists Khattab And Abu Umar

The Prosecutor-General's Office of Russia has completed the investigation into the explosions of apartment blocks in Moscow and Volgodonsk in September 1999, RIA Novosti was officially told in the Prosecutor-General's Office.

The investigation has found out that "foreign citizens Khattab and Amu Umar who, according to secret services' information, were eliminated during the counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya" are the organisers of the terrorist acts, says the report by the Information and Public Relations Department of the Prosecutor-General's Office of Russia, received by RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

The involvement of Achemez Gochiyayev, Khakim Abayev, Denis Saitakov, brothers Zaur and Timur Batchayev, Yusuf Krymshamkhalov and Alam Dekkushiyev in the crimes has been ascertained.

The Prosecutor-General's Office says that Zaur Batchayev was killed in Chechnya, his brother Timur in Georgia.

Gochiyayev and Abayev are still at large and have been put on the international wanted list. According to some information, they may be hiding on the territory of Georgia, the Prosecutor-General Office's report says.

Krymshamkhalov and Dekkushiyev were arrested and are staying at the detention centre in Moscow. They are charged with participating in an illegal armed formation, terrorism perpetrated repeatedly as members of an organised group, premeditated murder under aggravating circumstances, and illegal manufacture and storage of arms.

As a result of the explosions in Guryanov Street in Moscow, 100 people were killed and 690 were wounded and hurt. As many as 124 people perished and seven were wounded in the Kashirskoye Highway. In Volgodonsk 19 people perished and 1,045 were wounded.

The damage done by the blasts is estimated at more than 800 million roubles.

The injured people have now started familiarising themselves with the materials of the preliminary investigation. They number about 2,000. Then defendants Krymshamkhalov and Dekkushiyev will begin to familiarise themselves with the case.

After the end of these procedural actions and the indictment, the case will be sent to the court to be considered in detail, the Prosecutor-General Office's report reads.