Russian authorities arrest Daghestani man over 1990s invasion of Daghestan

The Russian security services, the FSB, have detained a Daghestani man for his alleged involvement in the 1999 invasion by Chechen militants of Daghestan.

On Tuesday, the FSB detained Ibragim Magomedev in Novosasitli, a village in Daghestan’s Khasavyurt District, on charges of participating in a gang, armed rebellion, and the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer as part of Shamil Basayev’s and Ibn al-Khattab’s invasion of Daghestan in 1999.

‘In the course of work together with the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, an irrefutable evidence base was formed for the participation in this crime of a resident of the Republic of Daghestan — Russian citizen Ibragim Magomedov, born in 1973, who did not suffer criminal punishment for this’, the FSB told Interfax.

They added that they were still searching for other people involved in the attack.

Russia’s Investigative Committee reports that 80 people have already been convicted over the 1999 invasion, while 28 others are wanted over the incident.

Chechen Islamist forces led by Shamil Basayev and Ibn al-Khattab invaded Daghestan in August 1999 to support armed insurgents there.

They were driven out a month later as Russia restored full control of Daghestan. The month-long fighting likely left thousands dead and displaced thousands more.

Although the invasion was opposed by the Ichkherian government of Aslan Maskhadov, it was used by Russian authorities as one of the main justifications for the start of the Second Chechen War.