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Mercury arrest in Moscow
MOSCOW, Russia -- A known Chechen supporter has been arrested with nearly 18 pounds of mercury which police think he planned to use in a terror attack. Acting on a tip, police arrested Sergei Krymergeri, who is suspected of belonging to the gang of prominent Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, authorities said. Krymergeri was carrying a champagne bottle full of the highly toxic substance when he was arrested, according to police and Russian authorities. The bottle contained 17.6 pounds, or nearly 8 kilograms, of mercury. "Such an amount of mercury would poison a very large number of people," city police spokesman Filipp Zolotnitsky told NTV television, The Associated Press reported. It was not clear when Krymgerei was arrested. The suspect has refused to talk to police. Meanwhile, Interfax reported that the Chechen rebels responsible for last week's theatre siege had more than 100 accomplices around Moscow poised to carry out suicide attacks, the AP said. During a news conference on Thursday, Russian security services released a tape of a conversation between terrorists. On the tape, one of the terrorists said the accomplices has official permission to live in Moscow and were ready to strike if authorities refused to negotiate with the hostage-takers, Interfax said. Also Thursday, it was reported that some of the former hostages have returned to hospital still suffering from gas inhalation symptoms five days after the theatre siege ended. About 100 ex-captives are being released from hospital each day, but some of those are returning to seek further treatment. About 150 people are still in hospital, eight of them in serious condition. The news comes after Russian authorities finally revealed what gas was used against the 50 Chechen rebels who had been holding about 800 hostages in the Moscow theatre in a three-day standoff. Russian Health Minister Yuri Shevchenko said the gas was based on derivatives of the legal anaesthetic fentanyl. (Full Story) The gas, which can cause extreme drowsiness, is being blamed for the deaths of 117 hostages. Fentanyl is an opiate-based narcotic 100 times more powerful than morphine, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Shevchenko said the compound itself was not lethal, but became so when used on people who were starved of oxygen, dehydrated, hungry and under severe psychological stress. In high doses it not only can make people unconscious but can also cause them to stop breathing. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in such doses fentanyl can be fatal. Other potential side effects of the gas include nausea and vomiting, and liver, heart and kidney damage. But for the Russians, who wanted to "neutralise" the Chechen rebels before they had a chance to detonate their arsenal of explosives, the gas has the advantage of being fast-acting. About 30 suspected Chechen terrorists were held by Russian authorities on Wednesday, and Ahmed Zakayev -- an envoy of Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov -- was ordered to stay in custody in Copenhagen, where he was attending the World Chechen Congress, until November 12. Moscow accuses him of being involved in the theatre siege. Russia has asked Turkey, which is home to at least 25,000 Chechens, to shut down Chechen foundations which Moscow alleges were in contact with the hostage-takers. Russia's ambassador to Turkey, Alexander Lebedev, was quoted by the AP as saying "there was proof" that the gunmen had made telephone calls to groups in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirate during the siege. Russian President Vladimir Putin has long said the Chechen rebels have links with Islamist militant groups such as al Qaeda. As authorities continued their crackdown on Chechens suspected of terrorist connections, Chechens in Moscow complained of increased harassment, saying police were making unannounced visits to their homes, the AP reported. -- CNN Correspondent Matthew Chance contributed to this report.
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