Prison inmate who was killed during a failed escape attempt was member of the Islamic Movement of Turkestan, Mansourjon Umarov, the chief of the Main Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Penalties at the Ministry of Justice, told Asia-Plus in an interview. 

According to him, the incident took place at Dushanbe-based penal colony No 4.   

A 32-year-old Akmal Ergashev, resident of the village of Kurkuduk in Asht district (Sughd province), was married with one child.  He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and served eight years as the time of the escape attempt.  

“Ergashev was shot to death while attempting to climb over the colony’s wall,” Umarov said, noting that Ergashev was member of the Islamic Movement of Turkestan.

“According to recent reports, he sent his two brothers to Pakistan.  They participated in jihad, and according to our data, they were killed,” Umarov said.