Distant relative of Tsarnaev brothers reports attempt of his detention in Dagestan

At the exit post "Gerzel", located between Dagestan and Chechnya, power agents tried to detain Said-Khusein Tsarnaev, a photojournalist of the RIA "Novosti" in Northern Caucasus, a distant relative of Tsarnaev brothers, suspected of committing the terror act in Boston. This was reported to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by the journalist himself.

The incident occurred on May 5, at about 11:20 a.m., when Said-Khusein Tsarnaev returned from Makhachkala, where he spent the day of May 4 on a business trip to visit a football match between the "Anji" FC and the "Rubin" FC. Having left Makhachkala in a fixed-route taxi, he reached Khasavyurt, where he took a fixed-route taxi to Grozny.

"At the exit post 'Gerzel' from Dagestan to Chechnya, the fixed-route taxi was stopped for inspection. Two men in civilian clothes asked all men to show their passports. Meanwhile, the power agents failed to introduce themselves," Said-Khusein Tsarnaev said.

According to his story, the power agents read his data in his presence; however, they did not return his passport. The power agents returned to the fixed-route taxi with two armed men in camouflage and asked the photojournalist to leave the fixed-route taxi, saying: "You are detained."

"I began to find out the reason for my detention. They told me that I 'know it myself' and asked to leave the fixed-route taxi to have a conversation with them. I refused. I realized that my situation was desperate, and I appealed to passengers of the fixed-route taxi. I said that my surname was Tsarnaev and that I was a photojournalist of the RIA 'Novosti'. I said that if I was detained at the moment, then I would most likely disappear. Immediately, I began phoning my colleagues in Grozny, Makhachkala, and I phoned to the Moscow office of the RIA 'Novosti'," Said-Khusein Tsarnaev said.

According to his story, someone of his colleagues journalists managed to get through to the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), and the problem was resolved.

The photojournalist believes that the incident at the exit post was caused by his surname. He has confirmed that he is a distant relative of Tamerlan and Johar Tsarnaev; however, he never saw them.

The photojournalist was unable to mention the estimated number of persons with the surname Tsarnaev; however, he has suggested that at present, all of the m can be subjected to pressure.

The "Caucasian Knot" has no comments of the Dagestani law enforcement bodies on the incident. Officials from the unit on duty of the Dagestani GIBDD (road traffic police) (the exit post "Gerzel" is controlled by the GIBDD) reported that they knew nothing about the incident.