Two persons wanted on suspicion of killing Imam in village of Novy Kurush

Rasul and Alkhas Sardarov, residents of the Dagestani village of Novy Kurush, are wanted on suspicion of the murder of Magomed Khidirov, Imam of the local mosque. According to a local resident, the villagers were not aware of any involvement of Rasul and Alkhas Sardarov in the armed underground.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 9, Magomed Khidirov, Imam of the Sufi mosque in the village of Novy Kurush, was killed. According to investigators, the murder may have involved militants from the Khasavyurt District, where the village is located. Apart from the Sufi mosque, the village also has a Salafi mosque; however, according to local residents, the killed Imam had no conflicts with Salafis. On September 22, the SMS-service of the "Caucasian Knot" received a message reporting that the Salafi mosque in the village was closed and the Imam and 20 mosque-goers were detained.

A source in the Khasavyurt ROVD (Interior Division) has not confirmed the information about the mass detentions in the village, and he is also not aware of the closure of the mosque. However, according to the source, two local residents, relatives Rasul and Alkhas Sardarov, both born in 1987, are wanted on suspicion of the murder of the Imam of the village.

According to Kemran Gadjimetov, a local resident, until Rasul and Alkhas Sardarov were put on the wanted list, there were no rumors in the village about their possible involvement in the armed underground.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.