VLADIKAVKAZ. Oct 18 (Interfax) - The Supreme Court in Russia's Republic of North Ossetia has sentenced Ibragim Daurbekov, 28, to 16 years in a high-security prison for being a member of a gang that staged a terrorist attack at a Vladikavkaz market in September 2010.
"The court took account of Daurbekov's assistance in solving the crimes committed by this armed group and identifying seven members of the gang, as well as the fact that he personally was not involved in the terrorist attack staged near the entrance to the market in Vladikavkaz," Judge Stanislav Balikoyev said.
Daurbekov's sentence reflects the nature and extent of his involvement in the gang's crimes, the judge said.
Daurbekov, who does not have a previous criminal record and was characterized positively by people living near him, pleaded guilty to the charges brought against him.
Investigators have proved that Daurbekov's gang was part of a criminal community led by Doku Umarov. Apart from Daurbekov, the gang included 20 more people, 13 of whom have been detained.
Last year's explosion, staged near the entrance to the central market of Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia's capital, claimed the lives of 19 people and left 240 more injured.