Any statements made by militant leader Doku Umarov are worthless, the Interior Ministry of Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya said on Wednesday.
Western press on Monday reported that Umarov, who is suspected of being behind a range of terrorist acts across Russia, announced he had gone into retirement. Later, several Western news agencies reported that he had retracted this statement.
"Umarov's latest statement is worthless. He may call himself as he wishes, but he is a criminal and thug on whose hands is the blood of dozens, hundreds of people," the Chechen Interior Ministry said.
The ministry said he would "be arrested or eliminated."
Umarov, who styles himself as "the Emir of the Caucasus," has claimed responsibility for the two most significant recent terrorist attacks in Russia.
Umarov is suspected of backing the derailment of a high-speed Nevsky Express train on November 27, 2009, killing 28 people and injuring over 90 en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg after a bomb equivalent to 7 kg (15 lbs) of TNT detonated on the track.
He is also suspected of organizing the attack on the Moscow subway on March 29 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up during the morning rush hour at the Lubyanka and Park Kultury metro stations, killing 40 people and injuring over 100.
In June, the United States included Umarov in their international terrorist list, a move welcomed by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.
"This is proof that the U.S. has finally realized that Umarov has nothing to do with politics or with Chechen people," Kadyrov said. "He has one goal: to shed as much blood as possible, regardless of whether it comes from soldiers, policemen, religious leaders, women or children."
GROZNY, August 4 (RIA Novosti)
