Moscow, 23 May 2002 (RFE/RL) -- The head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says several people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a bomb attack which killed 43 people in Daghestan. FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev said yesterday the attack had aimed to intimidate the largely Muslim population of the Russian republic for its rejection of the radical Islamic Wahhabism movement.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. But Patrushev said those involved in the bombing were linked to Islamic extremist commander Rappani Khalilov, a Daghestan Wahhabite. Wahhabism is a strict form of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia and spread by militants in Daghestan and Chechnya during the 1990s.
The attack in Daghestan took place on 9 May during a parade commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. But Patrushev said those involved in the bombing were linked to Islamic extremist commander Rappani Khalilov, a Daghestan Wahhabite. Wahhabism is a strict form of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia and spread by militants in Daghestan and Chechnya during the 1990s.
The attack in Daghestan took place on 9 May during a parade commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany.