Qatar says two held over Chechen's murder

Qatar said today two suspects had been arrested over the assassination of former Chechen separatist leader Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev…

Qatar said today two suspects had been arrested over the assassination of former Chechen separatist leader Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in the Gulf Arab state last week.

An Interior Ministry official told the state news agency QNA the two unnamed suspects were being interrogated over the killing, without giving any further details.

A car blast killed Mr Yandarbiyev, a former guerrilla leader and Chechen president, as he left a mosque after prayers in the capital Doha last Friday.

Within days of the incident, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani approved an anti-terrorism law. Officials said Qatar's consultative Shura Council had already been discussing the law, which stipulates death for "terrorist" acts.

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Western diplomats say the attack on Mr Yandarbiyev embarrassed Qatar, which has been largely free from such violence.