Members of power ministries are verifying information about involvement of suicide bombers of "Riyad as-Salihin" in murder of Said Chirkeisky in Dagestan

A grouping of shahid suicide bombers of "Riyad as-Salihin" assumed responsibility for murder of Sufi Sheikh Said Chirkeisky in Dagestan. Committee of Inquiry in Dagestan and National Anti-terrorist Committee (NAC) of the Russian Federation are already verifying this version.

It should be reminded that an explosion happened on August, 28, in the house of Sufi Sheikh Said Afandi (Said Chirkeisky) in the settlement of Chirkei, Buinaksk district of Dagestan. The bomb was activated by a woman suicide bomber who according to the data of the Ministry of Interior Affairs penetrated into Afandi's house under the guise of a pilgrim. Eight people perished as a result: Sheikh Said Chirkeisky, six persons nearby and the suicide bomber herself. Several people injured by the explosion were taken to hospital.

On September, 1, a message of Dagestani grouping of "Riyad as-Salihin" organization was posted on one of the web-sites running that it was them who organized and carried out the murder of Sheikh Said Afandi. On September, 19, the verbal statement of "Riyad as-Salihin" was confirmed by a video message of a certain Russian Wahhabi Abdul-Malik posted on the Net, one of the web-sites supporting North-Caucasian gunmen reports.

In his message Abdul-Malik states that Said Chirkeisky was killed "for manipulating mentality of the Dagestanies". The Sheikh was also called an agent of Russian secret services.

According to the investigative bodies of Dagestan, the version of involvement of "Riyad as-Salihin" in Said Chirkeisky's murder is being thoroughly verified.

"We took note of the information and will be finding out who the Russian Wahhabi Abdul-Malik is", Rasul Temirbekov, official representative of Committee of Inquiry in the Republic of Dagestan, said, "Izvestia" reports adding that NAC of Russia is studying the video message.

"The statement will be analyzed by a special unit of Federal Security Service", Counsellor of Chairman of NAC Andrey Przhezdomsky reported.

A source in the Department of Federal Security Service of Dagestan did not rule out that the statement of involvement in the murder of the Sheikh might be the gunmen's self-display or an attempt to confuse the investigation.