Moscow: Russia's security chief has not
ruled out the possibility of a Georigian link to the Moscow
blasts, and said agencies would investigate such a probability
as the Georgian intelligence has been found to have contacts
with North Caucasus-based groups.
Monday's twin blasts on the busy Moscow Metro had claimed
39 lives and injured nearly 80 people, and Russia had blamed
the Chechen rebels for the attack.
"We have information that some of the agents of Georgian
intelligence services are maintaining contacts with the
terrorist organisations in Russia's North Caucasus," Secretary
of Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev said.
"In view of Moscow terror acts we need to work on this
possibility also," he was quoted as saying by Interfax.
Russia and Georgia have strained relations after the
five-day Caucasus war in 2008 following which Tbilisi severed
diplomatic ties with Moscow.
"We need to check all the possibilities. For example,
there Georgia and leader of this state (Michael) Saakashvili,
whose conduct is unpredictable," Patrushev said.
He noted that the terror group active in Chechnya and
other restive regions of Caucasus are part of the
international terror network.
Meanwhile, the Georgia-funded First Caucasus TV today
broadcasted the voice recording of Chechen warlord Doku
Umarov, recognised by al Qaeda as the "Emir of Caucasus", who
claimed that Moscow metro blasts were the handiwork of Russian
FSB the successor of KGB.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 17:48