TBILISI -- Authorities in Tbilisi have identified a man they believe was behind the so-called "jihad threat" video against Georgian troops.
Georgia's Interior Ministry said on October 3 that a Kyrgyz national, Samar Chokutaev, has been charged in absentia on terrorism-related charges. Chokutaev is described as a talented IT specialist who works for a Russian mobile-phone operator in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia.
The video, titled "Taliban Jihad Against Georgian Troops in Afghanistan," circulated on the Internet in June. A voiceover in English threatened Georgian troops in Afghanistan and their family members, cursed President Mikheil Saakashvili, and warned of bringing jihad into Georgia.
The video sparked further tension between rival political groups in Georgia, who accused each other of either being behind the video or of using it for political gain.
Georgia's Interior Ministry said on October 3 that a Kyrgyz national, Samar Chokutaev, has been charged in absentia on terrorism-related charges. Chokutaev is described as a talented IT specialist who works for a Russian mobile-phone operator in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia.
The video, titled "Taliban Jihad Against Georgian Troops in Afghanistan," circulated on the Internet in June. A voiceover in English threatened Georgian troops in Afghanistan and their family members, cursed President Mikheil Saakashvili, and warned of bringing jihad into Georgia.
The video sparked further tension between rival political groups in Georgia, who accused each other of either being behind the video or of using it for political gain.