On September 28 2004, the jury concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to convict the accused of involvement in a terrorist act.
Ravil Gumarov, 42, Timur Ishmuratov, 30, and Fanis Shaykhutdinov, 40, were released from custody. On September 30, the Tatarstan Supreme Court handed down a not-guilty ruling.
In its protest against the acquittal, the prosecutor's office has submitted the criminal case for review, and asked for the verdict of the Tatarstan Supreme Court to be overruled.
The three men were charged under articles 205 (terrorism) and 222 (illegal purchase, distribution, sale, possession etc. of arms) of the Russian criminal code. If found guilty, they could have faced life imprisonment.
In Bugulma on January 8 2005 a low-pressure gas pipe was damaged near a Federal Security Service building. No explosion took place, and there were no victims. Evidence showed that the damage was deliberately carried out by an organized group.
