Recent terrorist attacks in North Caucasus masterminded by Hattab

Islamic extremists and Chechen warlord Hattab are to blame with terrorist attacks which occurred recently in the cities of Mineralnye Body, Yessenturi and the republic of Karachayevo-Cirkassia in the North Caucasus, Russia’s Deputy Procurator General Yuri Biryukov told journalists today. According to him, the authorities consider all the three attacks “virtually solved,” all the bombings being “organized by a 10-strong group adhered to Vakhabism,” an extremist trend of Islam. 4 of the group are said to have been arrested, 2 of them indicted, the rest being searched for. Testimony given by the detainees, as well as other investigative materials point to Mr. Hattab, Jordan by origin, being behind the blasts. The components of the bombs seem to be identical to those used in the apartment block bombings in the town Buinaksk and in the republic of Daghgestan on March 24th which left 23 dead and 150 wounded. The car bomb explosion in the Mineralnye Vody market place claimed most of the lives. In the meantime, Chechen rebels deny any involvement in the above terrorist attacks. Immediately after the bombs went off, spokesmen for Aslan Maskhadov, the president of the self-styled republic of Ichkeria, claimed they had nothing to do with the bombings.