A court in Tajikistan has sentenced to life imprisonment a man found guilty of killing four western tourists, including a Swiss citizen in July.
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A representative of the Tajik supreme court told the French news agency, AFP, that the judge handed down the verdict on Wednesday. The decision was reached following a four-week trial behind closed doors at a high security prison.
The Swiss victim, part of a cycling group, was one of four people killed when a car intentionally ploughed into them. A Swiss woman was injured by assailants in the car armed with knives and guns.
The Tajik man awarded the maximum life sentence for the attack was also found guilty of belonging to a banned Islamic opposition group – the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan – allegations rejected by the political party.
However, the extremist Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on the tourists in a video message.
Fifteen other suspects were also condemned for being members of a criminal group and extremist organisation or for failing to provide information to prevent the killings.
Tajik security forces killed four other suspected Islamists following their attack on a group of six cyclists – four of whom died – on the Pamir Highway outside the capital, Dushanbe.
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Swiss cyclist killed in Tajikistan terror attack
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A Swiss man, part of a cycling group, was one of four people killed when a car ploughed into them in Tajikistan at the weekend.
Swiss open murder case for cyclist killed in Tajikistan
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The attack, claimed by Islamic State, injured two other people, including a Swiss woman who flew back to Switzerland on Wednesday. + The other victims came from France, the Netherlands and the US On Thursday, the Office of the Attorney GeneralExternal link announced that it had opened a criminal case against persons unknown on suspicion…
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