Riyad al-Salikhin Martyrs’ Brigade
Amir Abdallah Shamil BasayevShamil Basayev is a Chechen separatist leader who first came to prominence during the first Chechen War in 1995 by leading a hostage-taking raid in Budennovsk, Russia. He was named Prime Minister of Chechnya in 1998, but resigned following his six-month term. His Riyad al-Salikhin Martyrs’ Brigade has also claimed responsibility for the hostage-taking at a Moscow theater on October 23, 2002, which led to the deaths of more than 120 hostages. The following is excerpted from a September 17, 2004, statement by Basayev posted on a Chechen rebel website.In the name of God the Merciful, the…
