A former Russian army tank commander was convicted of conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, conspiring to shoot down American helicopters and to kill U.S. and Afghan soldiers, conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction and other charges related to an attack he led on U.S. and Afghan forces in Afghanistan in November 2009.
The conviction against Irek Ilgiz Hamidullin, 55, was announced Friday in a Justice Department statement by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew G. McCabe of the FBI’s D.C. field office.
“Hamidullin was captured and detained by the U.S. military in Afghanistan and brought to the United States for trial. This case once again demonstrates our resolve to find and bring to justice, using all available tools, those who target U.S. citizens and interests around the world,” Mr. Carlin said in the DOJ statement.
Court records and evidence presented at the trial said Hamidullin had contact with “high level Taliban and Haqqani Network personnel.”
“On Nov. 28, 2009, Hamidullin led a group of fighters in an attack on U.S. and Afghan forces at Camp Leyza, located in the Khost Province of Afghanistan, near the border of Pakistan,” the Justice Department statement said. “He had planned the attack for months, received approval from the Taliban and Haqqani Network, recruited other fighters and acquired weapons for the attack, including IED’s, heavy machine guns and a shoulder-fired rocket, with the intent of shooting down U.S. helicopters responding to the attack.”
On the day of the attack, Hamidullin “positioned himself on a nearby hill, away from his fighters, where he had a clear view of the battlefield and could radio orders to his fighters,” the department statement said.
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“As the helicopters approached, he ordered his fighters to fire the antiaircraft weapons he had strategically placed in the area. Both weapons malfunctioned and the helicopters were not fired upon. He then ordered his fighters to pack up their weapons and other gear and return to Pakistan. During their retreat, U.S. forces ultimately identified and eliminated approximately 20 of Hamidullin’s fighters,” the statement said.
The next day, U.S. soldiers engaged in a firefight that left two insurgents dead and Hamidullin wounded and hiding. He was captured shortly after.
Hamidullin will be sentenced on Nov. 6 and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The Justice Department said the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Gill and James P. Gillis of the Eastern District of Virginia and trial attorney Jennifer E. Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
• Maria Stainer can be reached at mstainer@washingtontimes.com.
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