A technology entrepreneur, whose daylight abduction at a central railway station in Moscow was captured on camera and sparked debate, will be facing criminal charges along with his captors, Russian authorities revealed on Thursday.

According to Chechen officials, 39-year-old Areg Shchepikhin was not kidnapped but rather “detained by law enforcement” in the presence of bystanders and security personnel at the Yaroslavsky station on Tuesday. Reportedly a dual citizen of Russia and Armenia, he was beaten and later released on the outskirts of the city that same night.

The Investigative Committee of Russia, which focuses on serious crimes, announced that six individuals face charges of kidnapping and abuse of power linked to this case.

Later on Thursday, the Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow is anticipated to decide whether these individuals will be held in pre-trial custody.

Furthermore, the Investigative Committee stated that a psycholinguistic analysis of Shchepikhin’s social media posts prior to his abduction indicated “signs of incitement to violence and humiliation directed at individuals based on their national or ethnic characteristics.”

Shchepikhin was reportedly abducted by bearded men in suits, suspected to be ethnic Chechens, just a day after he shared an Instagram video denouncing Chechens and Islam.

In one of his videos posted on Monday, he stated, “I disrespected your Allah, your Quran, and everything that you consider sacred.”

The Investigative Committee has initiated criminal proceedings related to violations of religious feelings and public calls for extremist actions, and they are conducting “investigative measures” involving Shchepikhin.

“He will face charges, and a type of preventive measure will be established,” the law enforcement agency confirmed.

If convicted, Shchepikhin could potentially face a sentence of up to six years.

The Telegram channel Baza, which is alleged to have connections with Russian security forces, reported that the suspected kidnappers informed investigators they were ordered to apprehend Shchepikhin by “higher management,” which they declined to name. It was also mentioned that three of the individuals are active members of the National Guard of Russia.

“They were waiting for orders but didn’t receive any, and were eventually detained themselves,” Baza reported on Thursday.

The Moscow Times was unable to independently confirm these statements.

“I wasn’t tortured that much,” Shchepikhin, sporting bruises on his face, stated to Baza following his release.