Five suspects charged in Turkey over ties to “Crocus” attack in Russia

The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office has charged five suspected members of the “Islamic State” terrorist organization in connection with the March 22 attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow.

The attack resulted in 145 fatalities, and the alleged perpetrators were subsequently detained.

The suspects—Hofizjon Usmonov, Mutuelo Asoyev, Rahmatullo Salikov, Muhamadrahim Faizov, and Khamza Mukhamedi—are accused of having links to the attackers. According to investigators, one of them even proposed planting a bomb in another Moscow shopping center for 800,000 rubles, Anadolu Agency reported.

The suspects will be tried for membership in a terrorist organization, a crime that carries a prison sentence of 7.5 to 15 years.

“Islamic State” is classified as a terrorist organization by numerous governments, including Turkey.

One of the suspects, Faizov, is reportedly a Tajik citizen. Another, Usmonov, allegedly lived in a secret Islamic State safehouse with Shamsiddin Faridun, one of the accused in the Crocus attack.