Arrest of Makhachkala Mayor Seen as Sign of Changing Tide
04 June 2013
By Ivan Nechepurenko
Said Amirov
As the fallout from the arrest of the leader of Dagestan's capital continued on Monday, experts agreed that the event would likely send tremors throughout all of Russia. Makhachkala Mayor Said Amirov, 59, was detained Saturday with the help of special forces sent by Moscow, who blocked all of central Makhachkala and escorted the wheelchair-bound Amirov to a military helicopter parked on the city's main square to take him back to Moscow. Since Amirov has been widely reported to exert complete control over the law enforcement agencies in Dagestan, with many of his relatives occupying high-ranking positions, the operation was prepared in total secret. Local authorities were reportedly oblivious to Moscow's plans. "This was a brilliant operation executed by the Kremlin to show that Moscow can put the situation in order if it wants to," said Alexei Malashenko, a Caucasus expert at the Moscow Carnegie Center.
Malashenko dubbed Amirov "the North Caucasian Luzhkov," referring to the long-serving mayor of Moscow, who was ousted in 2010 personally by then-President Dmitry Medvedev on the grounds of a "lack of confidence." Residents of Makhachkala were more likely to identify Amirov as "bloody Roosevelt," however, due to his excessive and strict control in what is currently Russia's most violent region and his dependence on a wheelchair, earned after one of 15 assassination attempts against him that left a bullet in his spine. On Sunday, Moscow's Basmanny District Court ruled to keep Amirov in detention until Aug. 1. Investigators say Amirov organized the killing of an investigator in December 2011; ten others suspected of involvement have also been detained. Izvestia cited sources in the presidential administration as saying the arrest was sanctioned from the very top due to almost daily deadly explosions in the republic. "In view of the upcoming Sochi games, this must have drawn the attention of the Kremlin," he said.
04 June 2013
By Ivan Nechepurenko
Said Amirov
As the fallout from the arrest of the leader of Dagestan's capital continued on Monday, experts agreed that the event would likely send tremors throughout all of Russia. Makhachkala Mayor Said Amirov, 59, was detained Saturday with the help of special forces sent by Moscow, who blocked all of central Makhachkala and escorted the wheelchair-bound Amirov to a military helicopter parked on the city's main square to take him back to Moscow. Since Amirov has been widely reported to exert complete control over the law enforcement agencies in Dagestan, with many of his relatives occupying high-ranking positions, the operation was prepared in total secret. Local authorities were reportedly oblivious to Moscow's plans. "This was a brilliant operation executed by the Kremlin to show that Moscow can put the situation in order if it wants to," said Alexei Malashenko, a Caucasus expert at the Moscow Carnegie Center.
Malashenko dubbed Amirov "the North Caucasian Luzhkov," referring to the long-serving mayor of Moscow, who was ousted in 2010 personally by then-President Dmitry Medvedev on the grounds of a "lack of confidence." Residents of Makhachkala were more likely to identify Amirov as "bloody Roosevelt," however, due to his excessive and strict control in what is currently Russia's most violent region and his dependence on a wheelchair, earned after one of 15 assassination attempts against him that left a bullet in his spine. On Sunday, Moscow's Basmanny District Court ruled to keep Amirov in detention until Aug. 1. Investigators say Amirov organized the killing of an investigator in December 2011; ten others suspected of involvement have also been detained. Izvestia cited sources in the presidential administration as saying the arrest was sanctioned from the very top due to almost daily deadly explosions in the republic. "In view of the upcoming Sochi games, this must have drawn the attention of the Kremlin," he said.
Most of you may recall that violent Makhachkala is home to the parents of the (Boston Marathon Bombing) Tsarnaev brothers.
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