Court delays closing arguments in Kyrgyz terrorism case

Vilnius Regional Court has postponed closing arguments in the case of Kyrgyz national Mukhamad Ali Nurkulov, who is accused of financing or supporting terrorism, after discovering that some documents had been translated using an app rather than by a certified translator, LRT reports.

Judge Nida Vigelienė said on Friday that translations from Russian and Arabic in some case documents had not been prepared by a translator warned of liability for inaccurate translation. The court ordered lawful translations to be submitted at the next hearing, scheduled for October 7.

Nurkulov’s current detention order expires on September 21. Prosecutor Rimas Juodis asked the court to extend his detention for the maximum period of three months, saying Nurkulov no longer had a residence permit in Lithuania and would have to leave the country if released. The court will announce its decision on September 9.

Juodis told BNS that Nurkulov arrived in Lithuania as his temporary residence permit was nearing its expiry. He was detained at the airport before he could renew it, and the permit was automatically cancelled.

Nurkulov is accused of providing material support directly to the Al Qassem Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist organisation Hamas, while holding a residence permit in Lithuania. Prosecutors allege that between June and September 2025, he communicated with a representative of the group and made two cryptocurrency transfers of approximately 84 and 92 euros while in Germany.

Nurkulov has said he did not know that the organisation was designated as terrorist by the European Union. He told the court that he believed it was a humanitarian organisation and that the money would be used for food and other humanitarian assistance. He also said he regretted his actions and asked the court for leniency.

Juodis said Nurkulov had told investigators that he knew the Al Qassem Brigades was a terrorist organisation. According to the case materials, after being summoned to the State Security Department, Nurkulov used ChatGPT to ask how to delete online accounts, photographs and posts. Prosecutors also found calls for Muslims to join a holy war against non-believers and Israel, as well as photographs of masked people carrying automatic weapons, on his accounts.

In Lithuania, the alleged offence carries a prison sentence of between three and 10 years. The Financial Crime Investigation Service said this spring that Nurkulov was detained after flying from Istanbul to Vilnius. The pre-trial investigation was conducted by the service in cooperation with the State Security Department and organised by a prosecutor from the Organised Crime and Corruption Investigation Department of the General Prosecutor’s Office.