Militant, Gunmen’s Accomplice Held in Chechnya

GROZNY. March 13 (Interfax) – Chechen law enforcement officers detained a member of an illegal armed group during a search operation in Grozny, spokesman for the Chechen Interior Ministry Magomed Deniyev told Interfax on Thursday.

“A man has been held in Grozny on suspicion of membership in an illegal armed group. During questioning he confirmed his membership in an illegal armed group. However, he denied any involvement in military operations against federal forces,” Deniyev said.

Also, a local resident has been detained in the village of Selmentauzen in Chechnya’s Vedeno District. In 2001 he was aiding gunmen by providing food to them.

Law enforcement officers have also found five 50-liter plastic containers in a forest near the village of Dyshne-Vedeno in the same district.

The containers contained a photocopier, a typing machine, camouflage jackets, ammunition, radio stations, binoculars, a landmine detector, optical devices, improvised explosive devices and a photo camera.

A search is underway for those who buried the ammunition.

“Meanwhile, a woman from the Vashenderoi village in Chechnya’s Shato District told police that she had found more than 136 kilograms of a TNT-like substance, 168 shells of various caliber, 12 rounds, six grenades and two bombs in a mountain forest. This information is being verified,” Deniyev said.

(c) 2008 Daily News Bulletin; Moscow – English. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.