MOSCOW, May 24 (RAPSI) – The Lefortovsky District Court of Moscow on Tuesday extended the detention for Varvara Karaulova (Alexandra Ivanova), a student of the Moscow State University who stands charged with attempting to join the Islamic State militants in Syria, till July 27, RAPSI reports from the courtroom.
The investigator, arguing for the extension of Ivanova’s detention, said that the investigation needs materials from the Federal Security Service to make final charges against the student.
Ivanova said that she made a “silly and naïve mistake”. “I’ve not committed a crime. I really wish to fix my mistake. All of this is causing great suffering to my family. I won’t hide. I don’t know if there is any need to keep me here,” she told the court.
Earlier it was reported that Ivanova was found sane by the psychiatric evaluation.
As previously reported the second-year student of the Moscow State University’s Faculty of Philosophy, allegedly decided to join the Islamic State and secretly started off for Istanbul on May 27.
On June 4, she was arrested near Turkey's border with Syria along with 13 other Russian citizens when attempting to cross into the territory occupied by Islamic State militants. On June 11, she returned to Russia under escort of Interpol employees.
In October, Karaulova, who had changed her name to Alexandra Ivanova, was again arrested in Moscow and put in jail.