RUSSIAN investigators yesterday named the suspected killer of the journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was gunned down in Moscow in 2006.
The investigative committee, which deals with such crimes, said Rustam Makhmudov was "the immediate executor of the murder," adding in a statement that he remained at large.
Makhmudov, 34, a resident of Chechnya, has been charged and an intern
ational arrest warrant has been issued for him, it said.
Ms Politkovskaya was shot in her central Moscow apartment building in October 2006.
Many observers and colleagues believe her murder was linked to her work: she wrote dozens of articles detailing abuses by Russian troops during the Chechen conflicts.
Nine people have been charged with involvement in her murder. Two of the suspects, Magomed Dimelkhanov and Dmitry Grachyov, have been released on condition they stay in the country because, according to the committee, they had given all the evidence possible and did not pull the trigger.
The release of Dimelkhanov and Grachyov appeared to raise eyebrows at the prosecutor general's office, which said the investigative committee had "broken routine practice" by failing to notify it.
The investigative committee added that some other suspects could be released soon. Among those held are three men said to be brothers of Makhmudov.
Ms Politkovskaya's former colleagues at the twice-weekly paper Novaya Gazeta, which is running a parallel investigation, have accused the authorities of deliberately undermining the investigation by releasing details of the case before it reaches the court.
Russian officials have alleged that Ms Politkovskaya's killing was ordered by someone living outside Russia with the aim of discrediting the Kremlin.
However, Novaya Gazeta investigators have said the mastermind is probably in Russia.
The full article contains 286 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
