A Chechen-born man accused of being an “international terrorist” conducting hostile reconnaissance towards a dissident Iranian TV station in West London has claimed he was “set up”.
Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, 31, is accused of conducting surveillance on Iran International on the Chiswick Business Park in West London on 11 February this yr.
He instructed the Old Bailey he “simply liked” buildings on the enterprise park and was “in wonder” on the structure whereas making an attempt to clarify why he had taken a video on his telephone within the space.
His go to was mentioned to be the latest in a sequence of at the least three such visits by “others unknown”, starting in the summertime of 2022, following threats from the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence towards the TV station.
Security guards noticed Dovtaev’s suspicious behaviour and used CCTV to establish his actions earlier than confronting him and calling in armed police.
‘I used to be in surprise of such structure’
Giving proof in his defence, Dovtaev admitted that he had taken a video on his telephone in the midst of the enterprise park.
He instructed the court docket: “You have got these buildings and in the middle of it you have got the lake and I was in wonder of such architecture, I quite simply liked it.”
Dovtaev claimed that he had been despatched to Britain by his brother, Bashar – who was dwelling in Istanbul however utilizing a Russian WhatsApp quantity – with the intention to examine fraudsters who had stolen cash from his father.
His father, a lorry driver, had been concerned within the Chechen opposition and fled to Austria in 2004 when Dovtaev’s uncle was kidnapped by the Russians, he instructed the jury.
His father misplaced his job in 2022, following the pandemic, and invested 20,000 euros with Russian-speaking fraudsters, the court docket heard.
Trip to London over ‘household drawback’ linked to ‘fraudsters’
Dovtaev additionally invested 3,000 euros with the fraudsters, via his father, and the household was inspired by the Austrian police to analyze the fraud themselves, he mentioned.
He labored as an IT technician with Steinbauer IT and Albi, in Graz, Austria, is married to a nurse and has three youngsters, he instructed the court docket.
“I have travelled to pretty much all European countries except Scandinavia. I travel with my family but also alone and with friends,” he added, via a German translator – although he had by no means been to the UK earlier than.
During a go to to his brother in Istanbul in January this yr, the brother put him in contact with a person known as Shukhrat Sadikov who “had many contacts and eventually he would be able to help me with our shared family problem”.
After arriving again in Austria, Dovtaev mentioned his brother contacted him and mentioned he was reserving a flight for him to London, though he didn’t know why the ticket was booked via an handle in Baku, Azerbaijan.
“It was Friday after a long hard week at work and me and my friends went out drinking to have some fun,” he mentioned.
He didn’t sleep and his pal Idris drove him to Vienna Airport from Graz, the place he logged onto his e-mail and was despatched particulars of the enterprise park by his brother, Dovtaev defined.
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Arriving at London Gatwick, he purchased a brand new SIM card for his telephone at WH Smith as a result of the Austrian one was not working, he mentioned.
He then went to The Beehive Wetherspoon pub within the airport’s South Terminal and drank three or 4 glasses of beer within the house of 52 minutes, sending a photograph of a pint of beer to his pal Idris.
He caught a taxi to West London, paying 150 euros in money, and receiving £10 change.
As he bought out of the taxi at 10.03am, Dovtaev modified a New Balance cap for a Chechnyan opposition cap and pulled a snood over his mouth earlier than coming into the enterprise park at 10.14am.
He instructed the court docket: “There is a simple explanation for that. This is a symbol of freedom of Chechnya. It is one that every Russian speaker knows and I wanted to clarify with that that the one who has been defrauded yesterday is there today to pose questions.
“He would instantly have a suppose and know what he is finished – yesterday he has defrauded a Chechen particular person.”
‘I had somehow been set up… tricked’
Dovtaev claimed he was “very shocked, I need to say, that there have been all these safety personnel standing by” outside the business park.
He called his brother on the Russian WhatsApp number and his brother rang him back as he entered the business park and went around the side of Building 11, where the TV station was then based, looking for the front.
He was talking to his brother on the Signal app when he was approached by the security guards.
“I defined to him that issues weren’t trying the best way we anticipate them to be and the constructing was closely beneath surveillance,” Dovtaev told the court.
He admitted swearing in Russian to his brother on the phone, calling the security guards, “m************” and “b******”.
He suspected some “foul play” he said, adding: “I’ve used such phrases very often.”
He had planned to walk into the office building, find some Russian speakers and “confront them” but he told the court: “I felt that there wasn’t actually a plan anymore and that I had in some way been arrange, tricked and drawn in and did not know who lay behind this.”
Dovtaev agreed that he was being accused of being an “worldwide terrorist” when he was surrounded by armed police after going into Starbucks.
He denies a single cost of trying to gather info helpful for terrorism and the trial continues.
Source: information.sky.com”