MOSCOW, November 20 (RAPSI) – Khazvakh Cherkhigov, who took part in the attack and taking hostages in Russia’s town of Budyonnovsk in 1995 as a member of a gang led by a notorious Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, has been arrested in Moscow, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reports Tuesday.
According to FSB, the man has been placed in detention.
On June 14, 1995, a group of at least 160 gunmen led by Basayev attacked Budyonnovsk holding 1,586 people as hostages at a local hospital. The attack left 129 persons dead and 317 injured while the property damage was estimated at 95.6 billion rubles (about $1.6 billion at the current exchange rate).
Overall, 31 members of the gang have been already sentenced to prison terms varying from 11 to 15 years in prison. Proceedings against several other members including Basayev were dropped due to their death.