(Dan Tri) – Russia released the testimony of the suspect in the terrorist attack at the Crocus City theater, including `plan to escape to Ukraine`.
One of the terrorist suspects appeared in court in Moscow (Photo: Reuters).
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on April 7 that two escape routes had been prepared in Ukraine for the suspects who attacked the Moscow theater last month.
The FSB showed interrogation videos in which the suspects confessed that they were `promised money in Kiev`.
On March 22, four Tajik suspects opened fire inside the Crocus City theater and then set the building on fire.
Authorities said the suspects were arrested the next day while trying to flee to Ukraine by car.
Terrorist group ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the incident.
In the interrogation videos released by the FSB, the suspects said they were following the instructions of a subject named Sayfullo.
Sayfullo was the one who directed the suspects to flee to Ukraine, where they were promised 1 million rubles ($11,000), the FSB said.
According to investigators, the suspects followed the M3 highway leading to the border with Ukraine but were eventually stopped about 140km from the Sumy region of Ukraine.
Suspect Shamsidin Fariduni said they were told to `abandon the car near the border` and then called the dispatcher for further instructions on how to cross into Ukraine.
Russian officials previously mentioned the passage had been laid in Ukraine.
The FSB said there were two possible escape routes the suspect could have used.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said earlier this week that pro-Ukrainian images were discovered on the phone of one of the suspects.
Late last month, the agency said that large sums of money from Ukraine were transferred to suspects in the Moscow terrorist attack.
The report states that investigators have collected `important evidence` showing that the suspects received money from Ukraine in the form of virtual currency.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on March 31 that Russia had officially contacted the Ukrainian government, asking Kiev to hand over all those whom Moscow suspects of being involved in terrorist attacks against Russia.
On the list requesting extradition is the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Maliuk, who admitted his agency was behind the attack on the Crimea bridge after the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out.
In response, the SBU said that Russia’s proposal was `meaningless`.