ROSTOV-ON-DON. April 2 (Interfax) - The North Caucasus District Military Court has convicted former Russian army officer Denis Khisamov of the alignment with the ISIL international terrorist organization (banned in Russia), court press secretary Alyona Katkalo told the press on Tuesday.
"The court has found Khisamov guilty and sentenced him to 19 years in a high-security penitentiary," Katkalo said.
According to investigators, Khisamov was fighting for ISIL in the Syrian city of al-Raqqah from January 1, 2016, till April 20, 2017. He was trained in a terrorist camp and recruited fighters in Turkey, where he was detained on April 20, 2017, with the identification document of a Tajik citizen. His deportation to Russia followed.
Khisamov was charged with receiving terrorist training and aligning with a terrorist group.
Katkalo confirmed to Interfax that Khisamov is a former officer of the Russian Defense Ministry.