Suspect held

Russian officials said they have detained the suspected killer of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. The arrest of Rustam Makhmudov in Chechnya was reported on Tuesday by Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia's Investigative Committee.

Politkovskaya was internationally renowned for her reports on violence, police oppression and human rights violations in Chechnya and was critical of Russia's harsh campaign against insurgents in the region.

She was murdered in 2006, however little progress has been made in her case since then.

Reaction to Machmudov's arrest has been cautious, with the lawyer for Politkovskaya's children saying it has not yet cleared up the inquiry into his clients' mother's death.

Likewise, Sergei Sokolov, the acting chief at the Novaya Gazeta newspaper where Politkovskaya worked, said the arrest alone would not answer all the mysteries surrounding the journalist's murder.

"Why has this all taken so long?" Sokolov asked. "In addition, Machmudov was probably barely able to obtain forged documents without the help of enforcement agencies, although he was already being looked for. With these documents, he was able to travel to Europe and back."

Potential breakthrough

Politkovskaya's case is just one of a dozen politically charged murders to have taken place in Russia over the past few years that have gone unsolved. International human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the Kremlin for not further pursuing Politkovskaya's death.

So far, no suspects have been named regarding who may have organized Politkovskaya's killing.

Makhmudov's two brothers had previously stood trial as accomplices in the murder but were acquitted. That decision was later thrown out by Russia's supreme court, and the two brothers plus a third suspected accomplice are awaiting a new trial. Makhmudov himself was charged in absentia in 2009 and has been flown to Moscow for questioning.

Markin said Belgian police assisted in Makhmudov's capture, as he had previously been in Belgium. Belgian police had recently begun to pursue their own search, which may have driven Makhmudov back to Russia.

Author: Matt Zuvela, Darren Mara (Reuters, dpa, AFP)
Editor: Martin Kuebler