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Zarema MuzhihoevaTerrorist
Date of Birth: 09.02.1980
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Content:
- Early Life and Family Background
- Childhood and Relocation
- Marriage and Personal Struggles
- Connection with Extremism and Failed Terror Plot
- Capture and Interrogation
- Explosion Attempt and Arrest
- Trial and Sentencing
- Involvement in Beslan Case
Early Life and Family Background
Zarema Musayevna Muzhikhoyeva (also known as Muzhkhoyeva) was born on February 9, 1980, in the village of Bamut, Chechnya. Her parents, a Chechen mother and an Ingush father, divorced when she was eight months old. She was raised by her father, Mussa Muzhikhoyev, who worked as a migrant in northern Russia and passed away in Krasnoyarsk in 1990.
Childhood and Relocation
Muzhikhoyeva lived with her paternal grandparents for a significant period. She completed eight grades of education in Bamut. During the First Chechen War (1994-96), her family relocated to the Ingush village of Troitskaya. After the signing of the Khasavyurt Accords, they returned to Chechnya and settled in the village of Asinovskaya.
Marriage and Personal Struggles
At the age of 19, Muzhikhoyeva married Khasan Hashiyev and moved to his home in Sleptsovskaya, Ingushetia. Hashiyev was a businessman who traded in metal. However, he was killed in a shootout with competitors. According to some sources, Hashiyev had fought for Chechen militants. In 2001, Muzhikhoyeva gave birth to a daughter named Rashana. Her in-laws initially allowed her to raise the child until she was seven months old, but later took Rashana away and prohibited Muzhikhoyeva from seeing her.
Connection with Extremism and Failed Terror Plot
In 2002, Muzhikhoyeva met Raisa Ganiyeva, who had strong ties to Wahhabist groups. In March 2003, Ganiyeva facilitated Muzhikhoyeva's entry into Chechnya, where she spent a month in a militant camp. She reportedly met with Shamil Basayev, who proposed that she marry one of the fighters, but she declined.
Later in April 2003, militants transported Muzhikhoyeva to Mozdok, North Ossetia, with the intention of having her detonate a bus carrying military pilots. According to Muzhikhoyeva, she lacked the courage to carry out the attack.
Capture and Interrogation
After the failed bombing attempt, Muzhikhoyeva was taken to the home of Rustam Ganiyev in Troitskaya. She briefly lived with Khanpasha Kulaev, a known militant who later participated in the Beslan school hostage crisis. Kulaev's younger brother, Nurpashi, also involved in the Beslan attack, lived in the same house.
On July 3, 2003, Muzhikhoyeva arrived in the Moscow suburb of Tolstopaltsevo. She stayed there with Зулихан Элихаджиева and Зинаида Алиева, who later blew themselves up at a rock festival in Tushino. On July 9, militants provided Muzhikhoyeva with an explosive device and transported her to the Red Square area. She attempted to take a taxi to Tverskaya Street, near the Mon café.
Explosion Attempt and Arrest
The General Prosecutor's Office alleged that Muzhikhoyeva's behavior aroused suspicion among café employees, who called the police. Before being detained, Muzhikhoyeva reportedly tried to activate the explosive device but failed to trigger an explosion. Muzhikhoyeva confirmed this account during the preliminary investigation.
However, in subsequent court testimony, Muzhikhoyeva claimed that she had explained the presence of explosives to the café security guards and had never intended to detonate it. During the process of disarming the bomb left behind by Muzhikhoyeva, an FSB bomb technician, Major Georgy Trofimov, was killed.
Trial and Sentencing
On April 5, 2004, a jury unanimously found Muzhikhoyeva guilty of terrorism, attempted murder, and illegal possession of explosives. Upon hearing the verdict, she reportedly shouted, "I did not hate you before, but now I do, and when I return, I will blow you all up!"
On April 8, the Moscow City Court upheld the guilty verdict and sentenced Muzhikhoyeva to 20 years in prison in a maximum security colony. The Supreme Court of Russia upheld the sentence on August 31, 2004.
Involvement in Beslan Case
On December 22, 2005, Muzhikhoyeva was questioned in the case against Nurpashi Kulaev, the sole surviving militant from the Beslan school hostage crisis. She stated that Kulaev had not previously been a militant, but expressed her belief that he could have participated in the attack.
