The Kingdom of Morocco has extradited Russian citizen Dmitry Leonov, who is accused of participating in terrorist activities. This was announced on February 3 via the official website of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Leonov faces charges under Part 2 of Article 208 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Participation in an armed formation on the territory of a foreign state that is not provided for by the legislation of that state for purposes contrary to the interests of the Russian Federation”) and Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Participation in the activities of an organization recognized as terrorist under Russian law”).
According to investigators, Leonov was in Syria in 2012 where he acted as a Sharia judge within an illegal formation. By spring 2015, this group had become part of Jabhat al-Nusra, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Russia.
After being placed on the international wanted list, Leonov was detained in Morocco. The extradition process was facilitated through cooperation between the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Morocco. He will be escorted to Moscow by officers from the Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) and the National Criminal Investigation Bureau (NCB), as part of an Interpol operation.
