Kazakh diplomat Tolmachev charged with hijacking

The first pretrial investigation hearing on Valeriy Tolmachev took place on April 26 in Civitavecchia, Italy. The hearing presided by Italian pretrial judge was also attended by prosecutor and Tolmachev’s attorney Ivana Manni, Tengrinews.kz reports citing Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry. Representatives of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Italy confirmed Valeriy Tolmachev’s identity and that he is an adviser to Kazakhstan's delegation at UNESCO. Preliminary charges have been brought against Tolmachev at the hearing. The most serious of them is at attempt to hijack an airplane – it involves a long prison term. Tolmachev’s attorney Ivana Manni didn’t raise the issue of bail at the hearing, because the charges were very serious. But she requested an independent psychological evaluation of Tolmachev. The judge supported her request, Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry’s press-release said. During a meeting with representatives of Kazakhstan Embassy in Italy the same day, Tolmachev said that he had no complaints about the conditions of confinement. Valeriy Tolmachev is kept in a solitary confinement. His physical state is normal, but his is emotionally depressed. He told the Embassy members the he was deeply sorry for what he had done and said that was not in control of himself during the incident. Tolmachev told the Embassy representatives that he is ready to cooperate with the police. He speaks Italian and feels no need for an interpreter. Valeriy Tolmachev from Kazakhstan was arrested in Italy for an attempt to hijack a plane. He attempted to hijack a Paris-Rome Alitalia flight and divert it to Tripoli, Libya by threatening a flight attendant late on Sunday evening. He was wrestled away from the attendant by passengers and given a sedative. The flight continued safely, none of the passengers were hurt.