Boris Nemtsov murder: Russian court finds five men guilty in opposition leader's killing

Chechen gunman Zaur Dadayev murdered Mr Nemtsov while four others also involved, Moscow jury finds

Five men have been found guilty of involvement in the murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, including Chechen gunman Zaur Dadayev.

Mr Nemtsov, 55, a top opponent of President Vladimir Putin and a former deputy prime minister, was shot late at night in 2015 as he was walking across a bridge just outside the Kremlin.

Russian news agencies said a jury at a Moscow court on Thursday found the suspected shooter, a former officer in the security forces of Chechnya's leader Ramzan Kadyrov, guilty of murdering Nemtsov.

Four other men, also Chechen according to the BBC, were found guilty of involvement in the killing.

The jury found they had acted as Dadayev's accomplices and that the group had been promised a bounty of 15 million roubles (£195,000; $253,000).

According to the court the suspected organiser of the killing, Ruslan Mukhudinov, is being sought by police.

The assassination sent shockwaves through the Russian opposition. Mr Nemtsov's allies have criticised the investigators for stopping short of studying a possible role of top Chechen officers and Mr Kadyrov himself in the killing.

Mr Nemtsov had been due to lead an anti-Government Spring March protesting Russia's annexation of Crimea.

In February, thousands of Russians marched through the streets of Moscow to mark two years since the murder.

Later that month, an improptu memorial to Mr Nemtsov was demolished by state workers.

Municipal employees took away pictures and flowers that had been laid at the bridge where he was shot.

Additional reporting by agencies