There, they were bound with duct tape and placed inside a car that had been wired with explosives and doused in petrol. Their captors sprayed chloroform into their hoods and abruptly departed. The men, who have never been charged with any crime, were left waiting to be blown to bits.

It is usual for the security forces to claim that terrorist bombers have inadvertently triggered their device before they were able to plant it.

On this occasion, however, Butayev and his friend Islam Askerov, 21, were not rendered helpless by the chloroform. They freed themselves, removed the explosives and placed them in a nearby field. But they were unable to wake the rest of the group before the death squad returned. They fled, leaving Butayev’s 22-year-old brother Artur and the other two behind. Days later, the three men were found dead at another spot, their bodies charred. The survivors are still hiding.

Very sad