April 8, 2024 (EIRNS)—The March 22nd “Crocus City Hall” concert terrorists had two escape routes prepared in Ukraine, according to a video of the interrogations of various suspects, provided yesterday by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Suspects stated that they had a handler who instructed them about the escape and also promised money in Kyiv.
In the videos aired on Russian TV, the suspects said that they were following instructions from a handler whom they knew as “Sayfullo.” The authorities are currently working to determine his identity. While the handler’s real name may be “Sayfullo,” it may have been a name chosen to appeal to followers of Sayfullo Saipov, the Islamic State-inspired terrorist who, in 2017, used a truck to mow down random pedestrians and bicyclists in New York City, killing eight.
One suspect, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, stated: “Sayfullo told us to go to Ukraine, to Kyiv. And there we’d be given a million rubles,” about $10,810. Another suspect, Muhammad Sobir Fayzov, said: “Sayfullo told us that guys would wait for us at the Ukrainian border and that they would help us to cross the border and arrive in Kyiv.” And suspect Shamsidin Fariduni said that they were told to “abandon the car near the border” and then call their handler for further instructions on how to cross into Ukraine.
Russian officials had said previously that a “window” for crossing the border had been arranged on the Ukrainian side. The FSB added yesterday that the Ukrainians were conducting “de-mining activities” near the villages of Chuykova and Sopych, pointing to both as possible escape routes. They explained that the suspects were supposed to destroy their vehicle and use the forest area as cover for getting to the border.
