ALMATY. Sept 13 (Interfax) - The Almaty Specialized Interdistrict Court for Criminal Cases has handed down a sentence to seven citizens of Tajikistan who planned terrorist attacks in Almaty, the city court press service said on Friday.
"All of them were found guilty of creating a terrorist group and participation in its activities, preparing for a terrorist attack, illegal production of an explosive device, illegal storage and possession of firearms, munitions and an explosive device by a terrorist group," the press service said in a report.
According to the court materials, seven citizens of Tajikistan prepared terrorist attacks in Almaty "on the basis of radical religious ideas" under the guidance of their "spiritual guru" in Afghanistan in the period between December 2018 and January 10, 2019.
They planned explosions in the Iversko-Serafimovsky Monastery and the building of ATF Bank in Mametova Street and self-styled explosive devices for those purposes.
A search of their temporary residence in Almaty yielded a Makarov pistol with cartridges, an F-1 grenade, a cut hunting weapon and components of a homemade bomb.
Kosimdzhon Giyosov, who was found guilty of creating and leading a terrorist group, was sentenced to 18 years in a maximum security prison, the document said.
Abdukhalim Davlatov and Nematulo Nematov were sentenced to 14 years in prison. Parviz Tuychiyev, Sultoni Aminzoda, Sharifali Safarov, and Safiyullo Kosimov were sentenced to 12 years in prison.
"All of them will be serving their terms in medium-security prisons," the report said.
The convicts will be expelled from Kazakhstan after serving their terms. They will be barred from entering the country for five years.