Chechen Web site closed

Vilnius, Lithuania

Lithuanian authorities this week shut down a Chechen Web site at Russia’s behest after a notorious Chechen warlord used it to claim responsibility for the Beslan school massacre. Shamil Basayev, who is wanted for multiple terrorist attacks, including a 1995 hospital takeover, posted a message on the Vilnius-based site Kavkazcenter.com, saying he was behind last month’s hostage siege in a southern Russian elementary school. Basayev bragged that the entire operation cost him less than $10,000 to organize, and he blamed the more than 320 deaths on Russian forces. Basayev also said he was behind the suicide bombings of the two Russian planes in August. After Russia accused Lithuania of giving terrorists a forum, authorities closed down the Kavkaz Center site, long the main venue for the viewpoints of Chechen militants.

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