MIA of Chechnya: Mataev named as potential accomplice of Moscow women-suicide-bombers lives in France

Law enforcement bodies of the Chechen Republic doubt that a native of the republic Kazbek Mataev, suspected as a potential accomplice of the women-suicide-bombers who committed terror acts in Moscow metro on March 29, could really be involved, as reported by a number of Russian mass media. According to Chechen power agents, Mataev has been living outside Russia for several years.

"Law enforcement bodies of the republic have no data about any possible participation of the resident of Chechnya Kazbek Mataev in the terror acts committed in Moscow. The check has established that Kazbek Mataev, 36, a native of the Nadterechny District of the republics, in 2004 was announced into search for participation in IAFs (IAFs). Besides, Mataev was a figurant of the criminal cases initiated against him under the articles of "attempt on the life of a law enforcer" and "wilful destruction of one's property"; however, they were stopped later for absence of proofs," a source from local MIA told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, Mataev was also acquitted from charges of participation in IAFs "for expiry of the limitation period". "As far as we know, Kazbek Mataev has lived abroad recently, to be more precise - in France. Therefore, the version about his possible involvement in these terror acts is rather doubtful," said the source.

He could not exclude, however, that two different persons are meant here. He has emphasized also that the MIA of Chechnya did not receive any requests from Moscow about Mataev.

In the meantime, people in Chechnya, where the terror acts in Moscow have become the most debated topic, conclude that they remind the series of explosions of houses in Moscow committed in autumn of 1999, which become a formal cause to start the second military campaign in the territory of Chechnya. Moreover, the current reaction of the Prime Minister of the Russian Government to the terror acts is mainly not different, in the opinion of local observers, from Mr Putin's reaction in 1999.

"In 1999, he called to 'crack terrorists down in toilets,' and yesterday he said that the organizers of these terror acts 'had denned up,' and power agencies should 'winkle them out of the sewage bottom'. This 'toilet-sewer' vocabulary of Russian Premier causes greatest concerns. We perfectly remember what the consequences of his first mentioning of 'toilet cracking' were. I'm afraid that now Chechnya and its neighbours will face serious shocks and retaliatory 'zachistkas' (cleanups) similar to those in late 1990s - early 2000s," said an employee of one of local human rights NGOs.