Member of gang behind 2000 attack on Pskov paratroopers in Chechnya jailed for 24 years
ROSTOV-ON-DON. Aug 3 (Interfax) - The North Caucasus District Military Court has convicted Ayub Tuntuyev, a member of a gang that attacked federal forces in Chechnya in 2000, and sentenced him to 24 years and 11 months in prison, court spokesperson Alyona Katkalo told Interfax on Wednesday.
"Tuntuyev was convicted on charges of banditry and an attempt on the life of officers of law enforcement agencies. He was sentenced to 24 years and 11 months in a high-security penitentiary and was ordered to pay a fine of 200,000 rubles," Katkalo said.
In early 1999 Tuntuyev joined a gang set up by militant leaders Shamil Basayev and Khattab to stage attacks on civilians, law enforcement personnel and armed forces servicemen in order to obstruct their efforts to maintain public order and security and also in order to destabilize the situation and disrupt security in the North Caucasus region, the spokesperson said.
"Tuntuyev received ideological, military and physical training together with other members of the gang and was taught to operate different kinds of weapons. The gang's leadership decided to stage an armed attack on servicemen of a Pskov airborne division in the Shatoi district of the Chechen Republic in February 2000," Katkalo said.
As least 100 gang members, including Tuntuyev, who was armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, were chosen to perpetrate this attack.
The gang members attacked the Pskov paratroopers on three sides, killing 84 servicemen in an armed clash, which continued for more than 16 hours.