Well, you just keep them locked up. That’s all.

Just a few days short of five months ago, on March 22nd, gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall entertainment venue in the Krasnogorsk suburb of Moscow, Russia, killing more than 140 people and setting fire to the building. They made their escape from the city, but were later apprehended and brought back to Moscow — somewhat the worse for having been brutalized by their captors — where they were identified as being Tajik members of ISIS-K: Islamic State-Khorasan.

Moscow had become a victim of Islamist terrorism.

For the past few months, there has been little or no publicity concerning the suspects. But now we have learned that they were brought to court yesterday — “dressed in prison clothes and shackled hand and foot” — where a judge extended their detention until November 22, 2024. [RFE/RL, August 16, 2024.]

This is not an unusual procedure in criminal cases in Russia. Extension of detainment without establishment of a trial date can be ordered for any number of reasons: frequently to allow the prosecution to build — or sometimes fabricate — a stronger case against the defendants.

In this case, where the prosecution alleges that the attack was planned and financed by ISIS-K — and that there was also purportedly Ukrainian involvement — there most likely are complex political and diplomatic issues to be considered in addition to the simpler question of guilt or innocence of the individuals. So it may well be some time before they ever come to trial.

Assuming they survive that long.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/17/24