DUSHANBE, September 1, 2009, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s Consulate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is continuing to follow the fate of Tajik national Makhsoudjon Ismatov, who was arrested in Dubai (UAE) in March this year on suspicion of having been involved in the attempt on the life of Sulim Yamadayev, Davlat Nazriyev, a spokesman for the Tajik MFA, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
“Tajikistan’s representative office in the UAE has contact with the Dubai authorities on this subject,” the spokesman said.
Sulim Yamadayev was a former Chechen rebel commander from the First Chechen War, who had switched sides together with his brothers Jabrail, Badrudi, Isa and Ruslan in 1999 during the outbreak of the Second Chechen War. He was de facto commander of the Russian military Special Battalion Vostok (East) unit belonging to the GRU, succeeding his brother Jabrail Yamadayev, who was killed in a bomb blast in 2003. Sulim Yamadayev received the medal and title of the Hero of the Russian Federation, Russia’s highest award. From August 1 to August 22, 2008 Yamadayev was wanted in Russia on a federal warrant.
On September 24, 2008 Sulim”s brother, Ruslan Yamadayev, was shot dead on Smolenskaya Embankment in Moscow. Sulim Yamadayev himself was shot in Dubai on March 28, 2009. According to RIAN, Yamadayev was placed in a military hospital after surviving an assassination attempt: he reportedly returned fire on his attackers, which “saved his life”. Dubai police have dismissed this, reporting that Yamadayev died instantly from wounds sustained during the shooting. The Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov confirmed, on April 1, that Yamadayev had been buried in the Gulf state.
On May 13, 2009, Sulim”s brother Isa Yamadayev claimed he was alive. Isa claimed Sulim was only injured and is now in a Dubai hospital under police guard, adding that they were in contact via the Internet. Russian diplomats had earlier admitted that they had not received documentary evidence of his body and that only Dubai Police had repeated informed them that he was buried in a local cemetery
Iranian national, Mahdi Lorniya, and Tajik, Makhsoudjon Ismaotv, were arrested on suspicion of having been involved in the attempt on the life of Sulim Yamadayev. Both Lorniya and Ismatov have not admitted their involvement in the crime.
Besides, seven other people, including Russian MP Adam Delimkhanov, Zelimkhan Mazayev, the Kimayev brothers Turpal, Marvan and Salman, as well as Ramzan Musiyev and Elimpasha Khatzuyev, are wanted by Interpol over this crime. They reportedly fled the UAE six hours after the crime was committed.
According to reports released by some media, the Dubai Criminal Court began consideration the case of the attempt on the life of Sulim Yamadayev yesterday.
