The Vilnius Regional Court on Wednesday extended the detention of Mukhamad Ali Nurkulov, a Kyrgyz national accused of financing or supporting terrorism, by a further three months.
Nurkulov is on trial for transferring small sums of money to the Al Qassem Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist organisation Hamas.
The defendant maintains, however, that he did not know the Al Qassem Brigades were listed as a terrorist group in the European Union and believed the money would be used for food and other humanitarian aid.
Nurkulov’s detention term was due to expire on September 21. Consequently, Prosecutor Rimas Juodis asked the court last week to extend his detention for the maximum period of three months.
“The defendant no longer holds a residence permit in Lithuania, so if released, he would have to leave the country immediately. Furthermore, the offence he is charged with carries a mandatory prison sentence,” Juodis said.
