Russia to indict 5 in opposition leader Boris Nemtsov's killing

MOSCOW, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Russia is set to indict five people on Tuesday in the killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was gunned down near the Kremlin in February.

The five suspects -- Zaur Dadayev, Tamerlan Eskerkhanov, Khamzat Bakhayev, Anzor Gubashev and Shadid Gubashev -- will be charged with "a contract murder committed by an organized group and the acquisition, transport and storage of illegal firearms," the Russian Investigative Committee said, CNN reported.

"Of course, we will request trial by jury," Eskerkhanov's lawyer, Roza Magomedova, told state-run Russian news agency TASS. "We will file a corresponding petition."

Dadayev said he confessed to the killing after he was arrested because he was afraid. He said he was tortured and the well-being of his family and friends was threatened.

Authorities said those charged are from Russia's southern region of North Caucasus, which has experienced rebellion and unrest against Moscow for years. The Investigative Committee said a sixth accomplice, Beslan Shavanov, blew himself up when police attempted to arrest him.

Nemtsov was shot in the back with a pistol. He was a former deputy prime minister under former Russian President Boris Yeltsin and was a sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin. The shooting came hours after a radio interview in which he denounced Putin's "mad, aggressive" policies.