Four suspects accused of killing more than 130 people in a terrorist attack at a Moscow concert hall appeared heavily beaten as they were charged by a court in the Russian capital Sunday.
Photos and videos released by the court showed the four men being led into the courtroom with various levels of injuries. Three of the men had visible bruises and swelling on their faces, including one with heavy bandaging around his right ear. The fourth seemed barely conscious as he sat inside the prisoner’s box dressed in a hospital gown and on a stretcher, with his eyes closed for most of the hearing.
It came after images showing the suspects’ violent treatment in custody were shared widely across Russian social media, and as President Vladimir Putin vowed revenge but made no mention of the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
The Basmanny District Court of Moscow named the suspects as Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, Shamsidin Fariduni and Mukhammadsobir Faizov. Two of the four had admitted their guilt, the court said, although their condition raised questions about whether they were able to speak freely.
All four were charged with committing a terror act, according to the court, and could face up to life imprisonment. The suspects were ordered detained until May 22 by the court. Seven more people were detained on suspicion of involvement in the attack.
All four are citizens of ex-Soviet state Tajikistan, Tass state news agency reported. The suspects had to use a translator to communicate in court, according to Tass.
NBC News analyzed footage shared over the weekend by Russian pro-war Telegram channels that showed at least one of the suspects being tortured, and others violently interrogated and injured. NBC News was able to authenticate the footage by comparing it with images of the suspects as they appeared in court on Sunday.
In one video, suspect Saidakrami Rachabalizoda lies on the ground in the woods while a man hacks at Rachabalizoda’s ear with a knife, before stuffing what looks like part of the ear into Rachabalizoda’s own mouth. Videos also show suspect Shamsidin Fariduni being interrogated on the ground in the woods as a man holds Fariduni’s head up by his hair. In a subsequent image, Fariduni drools on the floor of a sports hall with his pants and underwear around his knees while a man stands on his leg, a black box at his side.
The men are accused of perpetrating the worst terror attack Russia has seen in the last 20 years, killing at least 137 people and leaving dozens injured. Videos from inside the Crocus City Hall on Friday night showed several armed and camouflaged men shooting at people inside the venue, seemingly at random. The venue also caught on fire after an alleged explosion, leading the roof to cave in.
The detention hearing for the four suspects came as Russia marked a national day of mourning Sunday, and people continued to bring flowers to the burned-out site of the attack.
Putin claimed Ukraine’s involvement in preparing an escape route for the suspects before they were captured, an accusation Kyiv has vehemently denied and said was being used to distract from his own security failings and raise support for intensifying his military campaign.