TBILISI. Nov 28 (Interfax) - An appeals court in Tbilisi upheld on Tuesday a lower court's ruling on the preliminary detention of Sayed Dudayev, a Russian citizen accused by prosecutors of terrorism and the illegal acquisition, storage, and possession of a firearm.
He was apprehended as the result of a security operation held in Tbilisi on November 21-22, in the course of which three terrorists were killed. Five special-forces officers were injured; one of them later died at a hospital.
During a closed-doors hearing in Tbilisi last Friday, "Russian citizen S.D." was remanded in custody.
Later, a representative of the Georgian human rights ombudsman met with the Russian in custody.
"The detained S.D. denies any link with the slain terrorists. He claimed that he knew one of them. He confirmed that during his apprehension in Tbilisi he had a gun on him," Georgian ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili told journalists.
Under Georgian law, if found guilty, Dudayev will face between 10 and 17 years in prison.