Possible accomplice of Tajik native Mamadchonov detained in Vladimir region - source
MOSCOW. Nov 11 (Interfax) - A man accused of helping Tajik native Abdumukim Mamadchonov, who was initially suspected of involvement with the GTA gang, has been detained in the Vladimir region, a source in Russian law enforcement agencies told Interfax.
"The man detained in the Vladimir region has been charged with inciting ethnic hatred under Article 282 of the Russian Penal Code because extremist books were confiscated from him," the source said.
Mamadchonov currently faces charges of possessing weapons illegally.
Examinations will soon be conducted in order to confirm whether or not the man detained in the Vladimir region was involved in storing the weapons confiscated from Mamadchonov, he said.
Rustam Usmanov, originally from Kyrgyzstan, was killed after putting up armed resistance to police and special services in the Ramenskoye district of the Moscow region last week. Another ten people accused of being Usmanov's accomplices were detained in an apartment building on Dmitrov Highway in Moscow on the same day.
Law enforcement agencies initially suggested that these people could be members of a Moscow region gang known for its cruelty.
However, they said later that they had tracked down an extremist gang engaged in recruiting militants.
"The persons recruited [by the gang] were forced to kill people on roads in the Moscow region in order to verify whether or not they were able to act cruelly," the source said.
Other sources told Interfax that so far no detentions had been made as part of an investigation into a series of murders on roads in the Moscow region.
Mamadchonov was remanded in custody for illegally possessing weapons, and another six people were held for being in Russia without permission, Interfax said.
"They will soon be deported to their native countries - states of Central Asian," the source said, adding that another three persons had been released.
The latest detention in the Vladimir region maygive a fresh start to this inquiry, he said.
Interfax has so far been unable to obtain official comments from law enforcement agencies.
The Russian Investigative Committee announced previously that it was too early to speak about the involvement of the gang members recently detained in Moscow and the Moscow region in certain crimes.
