Russians Indicted for Roles in Jet Blasts
By Associated Press
April 12, 2005, 4:13 PM EDT
MOSCOW — An airline employee and a ticket scalper were charged Tuesday in
connection with the nearly simultaneous bombing of two Russian passenger
jets last summer that killed all 90 people aboard the planes.
The Aug. 24 bombings were the first in a series of terror attacks in August
and September that killed more than 400 people and shocked the country.
The ITAR-Tass news agency said Armen Arutyunian and Nikolai Korenkov entered
partial pleas at a Moscow region court to the indictment, which charged them
with aiding and abetting terrorism and commercial bribery.
Two Chechen women are believed to have blown up a Sibir Airlines Tu-154 and
a Volga-Aviaexpress Tu-134 after buying scalped tickets, allegedly from
Arutyunian. Korenkov, a Sibir employee, allegedly accepted a $36 bribe for
helping one of the women get on the flight after check-in had ended.
Both planes took off from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport.
ITAR-Tass said Korenkov told the court he would refute the charges during
the trial.
“I doubt my guilt and during the submission of evidence I will explain why,”
Korenkov was quoted as saying by ITAR-Tass.
Arutyunian pleaded partially guilty, the news agency reported, though it was
unclear for which charges.
A police officer has also been charged with negligence for detaining the two
women then releasing them without inspecting their belongings.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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