Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, August 09, 2003
US Designates Chechen Rebel Warlord Threat to US Security
US Secretary of State Colin Powell designated on Friday Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev a threat to the security of the United States and froze his assets in the country.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell designated on Friday Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev a threat to the security of the United States and froze his assets in the country.
"We believe that Basayev, as leader of his group and individually, took part in planning and perpetrating terrorist acts," Powell said in a statement.
"Basayev has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States," Powell said.
US officials believe Basayev is responsible for a series of suicide attacks in May that killed nearly 100 people, as well as the hostage-taking at a Moscow theater last October.
They also accuse Basayev of having links to the al Qaida network suspected of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.