Copenhagen court to consider Akhmed Zakayev's further custody

On Tuesday, the Copenhagen court is to consider the question of further stay of Chechen separatist Akhmed Zakayev in custody.

As the press service of the Copenhagen police reported, a court session is scheduled for the first half of the day. The court will consider the additional materials submitted by police, on the basis of which a decision will be taken.

The deadline for keeping Zakayev in custody is expiring on November 12. He is now being kept in the prison of the police department of Copenhagen.

Akhmed Zakayev was detained in Copenhagen on October 30 at Russia's request. On that same day, the court ruled to detain him in custody on the basis of the information on Zakayev's involvement in terrorist activity, obtained from the Russian side.

Russia is demanding extradition of Zakayev, and an official request to this effect was sent to the Danish side on October 31. For its part, the Danish Ministry of Justice, having preliminarily considered the materials sent by the Russian side at the end of October, proposed that before November 30th Russia submit additional information confirming the charges brought against Zakayev.

On November 5th, the Prosecutor-General's Office of Russia submitted proofs of Akhmed Zakayev's guilt of committing specific crimes to the Danish side. Prosecutor-General of Russia Vladimir Ustinov handed the respective documents over to Justice Minister of Denmark Lene Espersen who was staying in Moscow.

Zakayev is charged, in particular, with having formed a gang including from 200 to 1,500 militants which perpetrated terrorist acts and common crimes. In October 1995, Zakayev's gang seized two workers of procuracy at Urus Martan. On Zakayev's order the militants placed them at a wall and prepared to shoot them. An elder of Urus Martan saved the life of the procuracy staffers.

In December 1995, the gang under Zakayev captured several administrative buildings at Urus Martan, terrorised the local authorities and the population, and shot dead about 10 civilians.

In January 1996, the Zakayev gang seized and shot dead two clergymen.

In March 1996, the Zakayev gang seized the commandant's office in the Zavodskoi district of Grozny and shot more than 10 of its staffers dead.

In August 1996, the gang under Zakayev's command captured the railway station in Grozny. The militants killed and wounded more than 300 policemen.

Besides that, the materials of the criminal case contain documents showing that a prison was fitted out in the basement of the house where Zakayev lived. Wounded and killed servicemen and law-enforcers were brought there to be subsequently sold.

Zakayev took an active part in the militants' attack on Dagestan in 1999.