IGP head: Tajikistan authorities confirmed that man accused of double murder at Airport is not member of terrorist group

Chisinau, July 3. /MOLDPRES/- The man from Tajikistan accused of the double murder at Chisinau International Airport is a former employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan. Tajikistan authorities have confirmed that he is not a member of a terrorist group. The head of the General Police Inspectorate (IGP), Viorel Cernăuțeanu, made the statements today.

According to the IGP head, the man worked for seven years in the internal affairs department, but was fired for the criminal actions committed. "The person is not a member of a terrorist group, he is an ordinary criminal. In 2013, he committed a crime, later served his sentence in prison, but was released early. After which, recently, he acted as an executive member of a group accused of kidnapping and bandit attack", said Viorel Cernăuțeanu.

The IGP management said that the person was announced as wanted, but at the time of entry into the Republic of Moldova, he was not listed in any international search system. "If it was found in the system, it would not have been able to transit Istanbul Airport either. From Tajikistan the man went to Uzbekistan, later he flew to Turkey and the Republic of Moldova. Arriving in Chisinau, he had a peaceful behavior without creating certain suspicions. The control is rigorous, so that in the last 12 months, in the Airport alone, more than 5,000 people were not allowed to enter the country. Currently, there are three employees of the MAI from Tajikistan in the country, to collect facts about the circumstances of the case", Cernăuțeanu said.

He noted that following the tragic incident, images were leaked in the public space. "The cases will be investigated and the guilty persons will be punished. These actions have no excuse considering the emotional state of each person, especially the family members of the deceased. I urge us to inform the society correctly and not to create panic, to check all the information in the public space", he said.

He said "the condition of the attacker is very serious, and the doctors are taking all the necessary actions to provide medical aid."

Two persons - a border policeman and an airport security employee died on the evening of Friday, June 30, at Chisinau International Airport, after they were shot by a foreign citizen, who was not allowed to enter the country.