German Investigators Identify 2nd Suspect In Georgian Man's Killing In Berlin - Reports

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2020) The German Criminal Police Office and the Federal prosecutor have identified a second suspect in the killing of a Georgian national in Berlin last August, Der Spiegel magazine reported on Friday, adding that the suspect could be charged with state terrorism.

Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old ethnic Chechen, was shot dead in Berlin's Tiergarten park on August 23. Germany has stated that either Russia or government officials in its Chechen region were behind the killing of the Georgian man, who fought on the side of Chechen militants from 2000-2004. Germany arrested a Russian citizen, Vadim K., on suspicion of murdering him and expelled two Russian diplomats in protest over the perceived lack of Moscow's help in the investigation.

According to the weekly, the federal agencies identified another Russian citizen, Roman D., who may have been involved in Khangoshvili's murder.

The suspect entered Poland on August 3 last year through Belarus driving a car, according to the media outlet.

On June 18, German prosecutors announced that charges had been filed against the first suspect, Vadim K., over the Georgian citizen's death. On the same day, Russia's Ambassador in Berlin Sergey Nechayev was summoned to the German Foreign Ministry after prosecutors sent the case to court.

In a later statement, Nechayev said that Germany's claims of Russian state agencies' complicity in the murder were groundless and that Moscow would be ready to respond if Berlin enacts certain measures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia asked Germany to extradite Khangoshvili, suspected of being involved in bloody Chechen insurgency and masterminding Moscow metro bombings. Putin said Russia would do everything to shed light on what happened.