MAKHACHKALA. May 12 (Interfax) - The Kirovsky District Court of Makhachkala, Dagestan, has convicted local resident Marat Imanaliyev, who tried to join militants in the territory of a foreign state, the press service of the republic's Prosecutor's Office told Interfax.
"The convicted man was detained by officers of special services at the Yarag Kazmalyar checkpoint, located on the border with Azerbaijan, as he tried to exit the Russian Federation in August 2016. It was established during a court session that he had wanted to join an illegal armed group in the territory of a foreign state," the press service said.
Imanaliyev was found guilty to seeking to join an armed unit in a foreign state not envisaged in the legislation of this state for the purposes that contravene Russia's interests. He was sentenced to eight years in a high-security penitentiary with a one-year supervised-release period.
A source in law enforcement agencies told Interfax that Imanaliyev had sought to go to Syria.