FUND FOR FINANCING CHECHEN FIGHTERS OPERATES IN BAKU, RUSSIAN SOURCES SAY

PanARMENIAN.Net - "A fighter of the Chechen front", stating a fund for financing fighters operates in Azerbaijan, was detained in Chechnya, the Regional Operative Headquarters (ROH) of Russia reported yesterday. According to the Staff data, the information was obtained when interrogating certain Rizvan - an active member of the illegal armed formations, who is concerned with financing the fighters and was detained the other day. He states that at present so-called "Assalam" Islamic fund operates in Baku, which finances several gangster groups in Nozhay-Yurt and Vedeno regions of Chechnya. "Besides, the fund renders financial assistance to fighters temporary settled and taking cure in Baku," the ROH reported, referring to the testimony of the fighter detained. According to the data provided by him, ethnic Arabs Abu-Rabi and Hikmet manage the fund, "Novosti" Russian agency reported. At present, based on the evidence given by the fighter, the law-enforcement bodies of the country plan measures to detain members of the bandit group and to liquidate the revealed channel of financing. Meanwhile, head of the juridical person registration section of the ministry of justice of Azerbaijan Fazil Mamedov told "Novosti" Russian agency that in 2000 representatives of "Assalam" fund had indeed appealed to the ministry for being registered. However they were denied registration. In his turn, as reported by "Zerkalo" Baku newspaper, in a conversation with journalists head of the national security ministry of Azerbaijan Namik Abbasov did not either confirm, or deny the information, stating he was going to engage in investigating the issue.