Trial over accused of metro blast started in Minsk

The trial over the persons accused of an improvised explosive device in Minsk metro on April 11 started on Thursday in the Palace of Justice in Minsk.

The terrorist attack in Kastrychnitskaya (October) metro station killed 15 persons, 11 of which died at the scene. Injuries and moral suffering were caused to more than 300 citizens. Functioning of the metro was disrupted for a few days, RIA Novosti informs.

Deputy prosecutor general of Belarus Alyaksei Stuk is a state accuser in the court. The court hearing will be presided by First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court Alyaksandr Fedartsou.

In the dock are residents of Vitsebsk Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavalyou (Dmitry Konovalov and Vladislav Kovalyov), both born in 1986. According to investigators, they have been testing explosive devices for a long time. Their first blast was in late 2000 in a block of flats in Vitsebsk (the exact date had not been told by investigators). Then the blast wave broke the window, destroyed the entrance door of one of the flats. Then there were no victims. That act was classified under Article 339 Part 3 of the Criminal Code as “Hooliganism” and Article 218 Part 2 “Intentional destruction or damage of property”.

According to investigators, an analogous explosion was set off by Kanavalau and Kavalyou accompanied one more person, Rumyantsau, in 2001 (in one of the days from March to November), also in a porch of an accommodation unit. Then the shock wave destroyed a window pane and broke the window. In about a year, in summer 2002, intoxicated Kanavalau, Kavalyou and Rumyantsau, set off one more explosive device on a façade of a branch of a children’s library number 10 in Vitsebsk named after Yakub Kolas. A window pane was damaged.

In August 2003 Kanavalau detonated an improvised explosive device on a pedestrian path in about 100 metres from a house. An underage guy was walking along the lane then. He was stunned by the shock wave. That episode, like the two previous ones, was also classified as hooliganism.

Besides, on July 10, 2004 Kanavalau attempted to arson a kiosk of Vitsebskoblsoyuzpecaht, newspaper retailer, again using an improvised bomb. He placed it under the roof of the kiosk. But Kanavalau failed to detonate the explosive, as the guard noticed him. The accused fled, and the guard informed policemen about the explosive. Law-enforcers defused it. That episode was classified under Article 14 Part 1 “Attempted crime.”

In just a month Kanavalau exploded another of his devices again, 500 metres from the railway station Hryshany (Vitsebsk district) on a road along an unused railway spur. As a result, a passer-by was stunned.

In the same year, on October 3, Kanavalau detonated a bomb 800 metres away from the railway station of Hryshanu. Then one more person was injured: a passer-by got burns of body, hands and legs. They are considered light bodily injuries. Besides, the jacket and the jeans of the injured person and a tape-recorder were damaged. Actions of Kanavalau near this railway station in the both cases were classified as hooliganism again.

One more episode dates back to March 27, 2005. Then Kanavalau set fire to a car standing in a yard.

In autumn 2005, as law-enforcers f\have found out, Kanavalau started his actions in central Vitsebsk. On September 14, 2005 at about 6.45 p.m. he detonated illegally produced explosive device near a bus stop “Freedom Square” in the crossing of Lenin Street and Frunze Avenue. That bus stop is situated at about 3-5 minutes’ walk from the Summer Amphitheatre, the main stage of the arts festival, the Slavonic Bazaar in Vitsebsk.

As a result, two persons got trivial injuries which caused short-term impairment of health. As noted by a representative of investigation, then a real threat of people’s death existed. Besides, traffic functioning could have been disrupted for a long time. Kanavalau was charged with terrorism under Article 289 Part 1 then.

In a few days, on September 22 at about 10.17 p.m. he detonated an explosive near a summer café in Lenin Street. It was situated near the city hall, just across the road, that is, in the centre of the city with a great number of people having rest. Some of them were returning from a pop concert which had been held in a recreational centre nearby. The blast created a real risk of people’s death. Many were injured. 50 persons were affected then. That blast was the first one which became known worldwide. It was also classified as terrorism under Article 289 Part 1.

Then Kanavalau started to commit crimes in Minsk. In the crossing of Victors Avenue and Masherau street on July 4, 2008 one more his explosive detonated. All victims were evacuated from the scene within 20 minutes. 46 persons were hospitalized. More than 50 persons sought medical attention. Alyaksandr Lukashenka, president of Belarus, was situated not far from the place of the blast.

To commit that terrorist attack, since the early summer 2005 till July 3, 2008 Kanavalau bought at least 375 g of TNT from unknown persons and Kavalyou. He stored the explosive in a basement of some of the houses in Vitsebsk. In the period from September 22, 2005 till July 3, 2008 Kanavalau produced at least 700 g of explosive material TATR. Using it and TNT, as he explained to law-enforcing agencies, the accused constructed two improvised explosive devices by their characteristics intended for causing bodily injuries, damaging and destruction of property. He brought his bombs to Minsk on July 3, 2008 and stored in a flat until about 10 p.m.

Then from 10 p.m. on July 3 till 0.20 p.m. he managed to bring these explosives to the territory where the festive events were held, in the crossing of Masherau and Victor’s Avenues. The first bomb was placed by Kanavalau in operational readiness and planted at about 10.30 p.m. in the place with crowds of people, on the lawn in front of Planeta Hotel. He could not detonate that bomb for technical reasons.

The second explosive was planted and placed in operational readiness on the lawn with lots of people, at the crossing of the two avenues at about 13 metres from the sidewalk of Masherau Avenue and 6 metres from the sidewalk of Viktors’ Avenue, near the building number 39. at about 00.23 Kanavalau detonated the explosive. The episode is classified as terrorism as well.

The next crime of theaccused was the blast on April 11 at 5.56 p.m. at Kastrychnitskaya metro station. The terrorist attack was comitted by Kanavalau in a drunken state.