Chechen Authorities Target Guerrilla Leader

Chechen authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a guerrilla commander they believe is falsely claiming responsibility for a series of deadly explosions in Russia, an official said Monday.

“We will do everything to arrest the man whose statements discredit the Chechen government,” said Ruslan Kutayev, an aide to Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov.

The rebel, Salman Raduyev, has claimed responsibility for two railway station blasts in southern Russia that killed four and wounded dozens of people last month, as well as for a weapons depot explosion in Russia’s Far East which caused no casualties.

Russian security officials say two Chechen women detained after a bombing in the southern resort of Pyatigorsk have confessed to planting the bomb.

Chechnya’s separatist government denies any Chechen role in these explosions and accuses opponents of peace in Moscow of using the attacks to justify a new military intervention.