Shkhagoshev: terror act in Nalchik was a direct attempt on President of Kabardino-Balkaria

The real aim of the terror act committed at the Nalchik hippodrome was President of Kabardino-Balkaria Arsen Kanokov. This is the opinion of Adalbi Shkhagoshev, a Deputy of the State Duma and Honourable Citizen of the city of Nalchik.

The explosion at the hippodrome in the capital of the KBR (Kabardino-Balkarian Republic) was committed on May 1. A self-made clock-operated explosive with the power of 3-5 kilos of trotyl equivalent was triggered in the heat of the races. As a result of the explosion, over 20 persons were hospitalized, one of them later died: it was Saidli Shibzukhov, a veteran of Great Patriotic War.

"I'm sure, being experienced as a former law enforcer, that it was a direct attempt on the life of the head of the republic Arsen Kanokov - the main guarantor of stability in the KBR. Have you forgotten the attack on President Evkurov (President of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Evkurov - comment of the "Caucasian Knot") and murder by explosion of Ahmad Kadyrov in the stadium of Chechnya in May 2004?" asked Shkhagoshev.

According to his story, every year on May 1 President Kanokov traditionally attends the hippodrome races. The bomb was triggered during the second race; and the timing device of the bomb was installed not at the stalls but on the roof of the VIP-box, with account of the fact that the head of the republic, although being late for the first race, will surely arrive by the second one, as Shkhagoshev said to the "Caucasian Knot".

He also expressed an opinion that the terror act in Nalchik demonstrated poor operative work of law enforcement bodies.

Other experts tend to believe that the explosion was backed by rebels, while the top leaders of the republic were their target.

"The main version is as follows: the terror act was committed by the members of North-Caucasian underground, the so-called 'Kabardino-Balkarian 'Imarat Kavkaz' sector' - a network-type extremist organization. It is supposed that this terror act was backed by the people who wage war in Northern Caucasus," said Islam Tekushev, editor-in-chief of the website "Caucasus Times".

Ivan Sukhov, an observer of the "Vremya Novostei" (Time of News) newspaper, who is dealing with the problems of Northern Caucasus for a long time, is also inclined to view President of Kabardino-Balkaria as the main target of the terrorist attack; however, he puts political motives in the first place, reminding that in a couple of months Arsen Kanokov will face his reappointment.

Alexander Cherkasov, a member of the board of the International Human Rights Society "Memorial", draws attention to one of the victims of the explosion - former Minister of Internal Affairs of Kabardino-Balkaria Khachim Shagenov, who was, according to the expert, one of the major terrorists' targets in recent years.

In the opinion of Arsen Kanokov himself, the explosion at the hippodrome "could be a revenge of extremists for liquidation of the leaders of the bandit underground aimed at destabilization of the situation in the republic during the May holidays."