Shamil Basayev

Shamil Salmanovich Basayev (Russian: ?????? ?????????? ??????) (born January 14, 1965) is a Chechen leading an armed group acting in the north Caucasus region of Russia, principally in Chechnya. Although some call him a "separatist" for his goal of achieving independence from Russia, many call him a "terrorist" for his intentional killing of unarmed civilians, including women and children. Since 2003, Basayev has also used the pseudonym and title Abdallah Shamil Abu-Idris, "Amir of the Brigade of Shahids 'Riyadus Salihiin'".

Moscow Power Outage

Recently, Basayev reportedly claimed responsibility for the May, 2005 power outage in Moscow. The BBC reports that the claim for responsibility was made on a web site connected to Basayev, but conflicts with official reports that sabotage was not involved.

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