Investigate two Belarusians for possible terrorism case in Mar del Plata

A mysterious incident took place in an apartment in downtown Mar del Plata on February 1st, which provincial and national authorities are carefully trying to solve.

It all began with a 911 call made by alarmed neighbors, alerting the police from the second precinct about screams coming from an apartment.

Upon arrival, the officers found two Belarusian citizens: one in a state of agitation, wielding a knife, and the other with a leg injury. Both resided in Mar del Plata and had obtained Argentine nationality. They claimed to be computer systems programrs.

The individuals, identified as Aliaksandr Maskevich (33) and Mikhael Bilida (35), were in possession of two revolvers and small amounts of cocaine and marijuana for personal use.

However, the strangest part came afterward: upon inspecting the apartment, the officers found what appeared to be a laboratory and nine bricks of a material initially assumed to be drugs. However, it was not.

From the start, the situation was unusual and continued to become even more puzzling. At first glance, the blocks had a grayish hue and contained seeds, molded in plastic containers similar to those used in takeout food establishments. The analyses ruled out the presence of drugs or explosives.

Subsequently, a chemical study revealed that the substance contained various metals, including tantalum, an uncommon element used in the electronics industry due to its high resistance to corrosion.

To further complicate the situation, the Belarusians were only detained briefly. The case, initially processed in the flagrancy UFI, later moved to the narcotics prosecutor's office, but since no illicit substances were detected, both regained their freedom and quickly disappeared. For now, they have a public defender.

Given the peculiarity of the case, the investigation fell under the jurisdiction of Federal Court No. 3 of Mar del Plata, led by Judge Santiago Inchausti, who is instructing case No. 779/2025, under the title: "Defendant: Maskevich, Aliaksandr and another for violation of art. 306, INC. 1 of the Penal Code".

The criminal figure applied is contemplated in article 41 of the Penal Code: "When any of the crimes provided for in this Code, in special laws or in laws that incorporate into domestic law criminal types provided for in current international conventions ratified in the Argentine Republic, has been committed with the purpose of terrorizing the population or forcing national public authorities or foreign governments or agents of an international organization to perform an act or refrain from doing so, the scale will be doubled in the minimum and maximum".

Possible case of terrorism

For this reason, only this week were alarms raised and all competent agencies in the fight against organized crime and terrorism were involved. The hypothesis is unsettling, although for now, it remains just that, a hypothesis.

The Federal Court of Mar del Plata ordered the participation of the Specialized Prosecutor's Unit for Organized Crime (UFECO), led by Santiago Marquevich, as well as the Financial Information Unit (UIF) and the Anti-Terrorist Investigation Unit Department (DUIA) of the Federal Police.

A DUIA brigade traveled to Mar del Plata with the aim of locating witnesses and collecting material from security cameras.

Additionally, Interpol was tasked with verifying if either of the two Belarusians has ties to criminal or terrorist organizations, while the Tripartite Command was informed of the case through the NEA Special Investigations Department, given that both Maskevich and Bilida have records of movements across the triple border.

Since it is not known for certain what the nine blocks found in the Belarusians' kitchen are, a group from the Federal Police Explosives Brigade was ordered to take samples, which are currently at the Legal Chemical Directorate of the Scientific Police Superintendency of the Buenos Aires Province Police, in La Plata.

"It should be noted that on the date, a copy of a judicial order issued by the acting UFI was received, directed to the SIDE, ordering that in accordance with article 4 bis of Law No. 25.520, modified by Decree of Necessity and Urgency No. 614/2024, collaboration be provided with the intervening police force in the present investigation (DUIA of the PFA) in the production of tasks of its specialty (conf. art. 8 bis of the norm)", states an internal communication.

Amid the uncertainty and mystery, assistance was also requested from the FBI legal attaché of the United States Embassy in Argentina.