Alleged organizers of May 9 blast may not be related to it

A high-ranking official at the Chechen interior ministry has cast doubt on the information that Elikhanov an Udayev, rebels killed in Grozny, were organizers of the May 9 terrorist act at the Dinamo stadium in the Chechen capital. "As far as I know, Said-Emin Elikhanov, commander of one of the Wahhabi jamaats (groups), had been killed in the course of an operation conducted by federal forces a few days before that day when Taus Udayev, commander of the Urus-Martan jamaat, was destroyed by the military with the active assistance of Chechen policemen. Personally I don't understand why the liquidation of these two gang leaders was combined in one operation and presented as the liquidation of murderers of Akhmat Hajji Kadyrov," the official said. "I don't believe that the commanders of two Wahhabi jamaats, each of whom was responsible for his sector, could unite to commit a serious terrorist act. It goes against their principles. Rebel groups acting in towns and settlements do it separately and rarely contact each other. Conspiracy is the main thing for them. And, in my opinion, it is naive to think that Elikhanov and Udayev, ordinary field commanders of the middle level, can bear direct relation to such a serious action as the Dinamo stadium blast, even more so during a holiday, with reinforced security. Much more serious forces are behind this blast." It is early to make statements on Elikhanov and Udayev's complicity in Kadyrov's assassination.

Editors note: See also the article "Commandos kill 2 rebels linked to May 9 terrorist blast".