Many accomplices in terrorist attacks are in hiding in Europe — Kremlin spokesman

Peskov

MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/: Many accomplices in terrorist attacks committed in Russia are in hiding in European countries and Russia keeps pressing for their extradition, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Thursday.

"It is a hard fact that many accomplices in terrorist attacks and killings during the bloody events in the Caucasus are still in hiding. Many of them are in European countries. They obtain residence permits or citizenship and are free to walk the streets in broad daylight among ordinary people," Peskov said. "Many of them are being investigated with the aim of demanding their extradition to Russia. As a rule such lists are not made public."

About the killing of a Georgian citizen in Berlin last August Peskov informed that Russia had repeatedly demanded his extradition.

"There had been such requests and the president [of Russia Vladimir Putin], was briefed on that." According to the Kremlin spokesman "that man was not just a suspect."

"Convincing proof has been gathered of his participation in bloody terrorist attacks and mass killings," he stated.

That Georgian citizen’s guilt of committing criminal offenses had been established long ago. Peskov described Russia’s actions taken with the aim of the extradition of such criminals as an "absolutely normal practice." 

"Absolutely systemic work [for the extradition of criminals to Russia] is underway in accordance with the law," Peskov commented.

Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed on December 10 that the Georgian citizen killed in Berlin last August was one of the organizers behind the explosions in Moscow’s metro and an active participant in hostilities in the Caucasus on the terrorists’ side. His name was on the list of wanted criminals. Putin said that 98 people were killed in one of the massacres the man had been involved in.