In total, 19 people have been prosecuted, among them four main suspects. The four have admitted their guilt, writes the state-owned Russian news agency Tass on its website with reference to a lawyer who represents a large number of victims.
The extremist Islamic terrorist movement IS took responsibility for the attack early on. In information that has been leaked from interrogations with the suspects, it is stated that they carried out the massacre for money. The Russian power center Kremlin has at the same time claimed that the terrorists were part of a Western and Ukrainian conspiracy, without actual evidence.
The four main suspects are all from Tajikistan. An AFP reporter managed to see that they appeared in handcuffs in glass cages in the courtroom in Moscow, before the judge decided on closed doors. The proceedings will continue on Tuesday and Thursday, according to the court's website.
