On behalf of the Investigative Committee of Russia, as part of authorized searches by the field staff of the FSB and the Russian Interior Ministry, the alleged perpetrator of assassination of a journalist Anna Politkovskaya - Rustam Makhmudov has been detained today in Chechnya. The investigation had earlier charged him by default with this crime and imposed a restrained in custody, he had been put on international wanted list.

Belgian law enforcement authorities helped to detain Rustam Makhmudov - the accused had been hiding here earlier. Having been informed of the supposed location of Mahmudov, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee has repeatedly personally traveled to Belgium for consultations with the leadership of law enforcement agencies of this country to search for the accused in felony. It was after these meetings, that law enforcement authorities of Belgium stepped up their efforts to find Mahmudov and he was forced to leave Belgium.

Currently, investigators are conducting investigations with Mahmudov aimed at collecting and consolidating evidence of his guilt in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya.