In Ingushetia, Gatagazhev family complain that FSB agents planted a bomb into their house

The members of Gatagazhev family, who live in Sagopshi village, Malgobek District of Ingushetia, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that employees of the Department of FSB (DFSB) for Ingushetia, who searched their house, had first planted an explosive and then declared it detected.

On the other hand, the DFSB's version runs that at night of February 11 its agents conducted operative-investigatory actions in the house of Magomed Gatagazhev and found a self-made explosive and components thereto. Under the inquiry of the criminal case initiated on the attempt on an employee of law enforcement bodies with use of self-made explosives, they detained Arthur Gatagazhev, 33.

Arthur's wife Alla reports that she saw that during the search of the house a DFSB employee in mask brought in and placed a black bag into the boxroom, in which a bomb was later detected.

Earlier, Zurab Gatagazhev, who was arrested together with his brother and then released, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent: "When we entered the boxroom for the first time, naturally, they found nothing there. Then, after the full search, the agents decided, for some reason, to come there again; this time, they found a bomb in a black bag on the top in a noticeable place."

About 100 agents of the DFSB for the Republic of Ingushetia and other law enforcement bodies held the Gatagazhevs' house cordoned, and searched it from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Fatima, mother of Gatagazhev brothers, said that by the start of the search the agents had no search sanction on them.

"Besides, during the search the power agents didn't admit our neighbours as witnesses, but brought some militaries with them to act as such. The majority of them were in masks; all the cars were without license plates, except for one 'Niva' car. When they brought us in this 'Niva' to the DFSB building in Magas, the license plates were removed from this car either," said Fatima Gatagazheva.

A neighbour of Gatagazhevs expressed her indignation to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent with the actions of power agents. "When I wanted be a witness during the search of their house, I was roughly pushed out of the yard, with a sub-machine gun barrel right against my forehead. Should militaries, not neighbours, be witnesses at a search?" the neighbour asked.

On February 9 and 10, Arthur and Zurab Gatagazhev were summoned to the DFSB for Ingushetia on the issue of Gatagazhev's car, registered by the Department. Zurab said that his brother Arthur worked as a taxi driver and once gave a lift to some resident of the Republic, who was arrested in his car and later convicted for bearing arms and participation in an IAF (illegal armed formation). Since then, the car was confiscated and kept by the DFSB.

On February 10, when Arthur and Zurab came to the DFSB to get their car back, they were unexpectedly detained by operative agents. "They put our mother, my brother and me into different rooms and interrogated us from 2:00 to 10:00 p.m. I was asked about our relatives and where I was on certain days. They asked me to persuade my brother into confession of certain crimes. They insisted that he had given a lift to some criminals. They spoke about three suicide bombers known to the whole Republic. The agents told me that they were sure he had done it. As I understood, they had no proofs and hoped to press them out of us," said Zurab Gatagazhev.

Gatagazhevs' mother was also interrogated; she had a heart attack in the process, which happened again, when they were leaving Magas. "They kept me in the room, although I explained that I was feeling bad. The attitude was very bad," said Fatima Gatagazheva.