Suspected killer of Russian diplomats in 2006 on trial in Iraq - al-Maliki
MOSCOW. Oct 10 (Interfax) - One more suspect, who stands accused of killing Russian diplomats in Baghdad in the summer of 2006, is on trial in Iraq, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has announced.
"The Iraqi security services took part in the investigation and they detained the perpetrators. One of them has been executed and the other has been sentenced to death, but he is on trial again at his defense lawyers' insistence," Nuri al-Maliki said in an interview with Interfax on Wednesday.
More suspects are on remand, he said.
The Iraqi prime minister said that al-Qaeda's alleged role in these killings has not been confirmed.
"Concerning the killers, they were members of armed gangs active in Iraq at that time," he said.
Unidentified gunmen attacked the Russian embassy's armored vehicle on approaches to the embassy premises in Baghdad on June 3 2006. There were five diplomats in the car and one of them was killed in the attack.
Embassy employees Fyodor Zaitsev, Rinat Agliulin and Anatoly Smirnov, and Foreign Intelligence Service officer Oleg Fedoseyev were taken hostage. A terrorist organization, linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the abductions.
On June 19, the militants demanded that Russia withdraw troops from Chechnya and free all convicted Muslims. After the ultimatum was not fulfilled, the terrorists posted a video on the Internet showing the execution of the hostages. The Russian Foreign Ministry officially confirmed the killings of its diplomats on June 26.
Reports emerged on April 2012 that the Russian diplomats' remains had been found in Iraq and repatriated to Russia to be buried. The Russian authorities did not confirm those reports.