Warlord says he ordered assassination in Chechnya

Russia's most wanted man, the Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, issued a statement yesterday in which he claimed full responsibility for the recent assassination of Chechnya's Moscow-backed president and appeared to suggest that Vladimir Putin might be next.

Russia's most wanted man, the Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, issued a statement yesterday in which he claimed full responsibility for the recent assassination of Chechnya's Moscow-backed president and appeared to suggest that Vladimir Putin might be next.

In a text repeatedly referring to jihad, Allah and the Koran, Basayev, 39, seemed to suggest that his separatist fighters were preparing to assassinate President Putin or his Prime Minister, Mikhail Fradkov.

The announcement, posted on a Chechen rebels' website called Kavkaz Center, included a sinister reference to Mr Putin's two teenage daughters, Ekaterina and Maria.

Basayev described the murder of Akhmad Kadyrov - who was was blown up by a bomb at a sports stadium in Grozny, the Chechen capital, on 9 May - as a "small but important victory". A 37-year-old bricklayer with an alleged grudge against the Russians, Lomali Chupalaev, is suspected of planting the bomb and is being held in custody.

Basayev said: "In the framework of Operation Retribution, our mujahedin successfully carried out the special operation." He added that Mr Kadyrov's "sentence" had been passed by an Islamic court.

"It will be interesting to see," Basayev continued, "who will be appointed Russia's premier - Katya or Masha [Mr Putin's daughters] - if, with the help of Allah, we successfully carry out special operation Moska 2."