Qatar sees Terrorist as good muslim -Convicts 2 Russian Intel Officers

[papau]

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-qatar-russia-trial,0,5405551.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

Qatar sees Terrorist as good muslim -Convicts 2 Russian Intel Officers

By JABER AL HARMI Associated Press Writer

June 30, 2004, 2:21 PM EDT

DOHA, Qatar -- In a verdict with implications for the war on terror, a court convicted two Russian intelligence officers of assassinating a Chechen rebel leader and ordered both to serve 25 years in prison for a car bombing the judge said Russia's government approved. <snip>

The Russian agents, who have not been officially identified, were arrested soon after. Russia has denied involvement in Yandarbiyev's killing and has said the defendants were gathering intelligence about terrorism. <snip>

Sergei Markov of the Institute of Political Research in Moscow said the verdict "indicated that the Qatar authorities do not consider Yandarbiyev as a criminal who had been financing terrorist groups. Instead, they considered him a friend of Qatar and a true-believing Muslim." <snip>

Yandarbiyev, Chechnya's acting president in 1996-1997, had lived in Qatar since 2000. Moscow had sought his extradition on charges of terrorism and links to al-Qaida. The United Nations and Washington had also linked him to terrorism.