Tajik court convicts 53 for terrorist attack

A court in northern Tajikistan convicted 53 people for a terrorist attack that killed two last September, with five of those convicted receiving life sentences, a court spokesman said on Monday. The attack took place near the organized crime police office in Khudzhand city, when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a car, killing two policemen and injuring 25. A closed trial of the 53 people charged with involvement in the attack began in July. The suspects were found guilty of masterminding the attack, involvement in terrorism, organizing a crime group and forging documents. The court spokesman said the other 48 people received jail terms of 8-13 years and added that all were residents of the Sogdiiskaya district in northern Tajikistan.