Arrests in Metin Mehdiyev Murder

Three men suspected in the murder of Metin Mehdiyev, an Azerbaijan-born Muslim activist, were arrested in Moscow, according to "Interfax" referring to the main Investigation department in Moscow.

The detainees are Vitali Kalinin, a 28-year-old resident of the Orenburg region, Nikolay Yermakov, a 26-year-old resident of the Tomsk region and Alexander Saveliev, a 26-year-old native of Kazakhstan.  The investigation concluded that the crime was committed for profit; the nationality of the victim was not an issue.

"The criminals stole the victim's cell phone “Vertu”, a purse with money, and keys to a rented apartment," said Victoria Tsyplenkova, a representative of the Investigation Department. Mehdiyev was killed on the night of April 10 in Moscow.  The criminals hit him with a knife in his neck and disfigured his face. Mehdiyev’s murder caused a great resonance among ethnic communities. During the farewell for Mehdiyev near the demolished Sobor mosque at Mir Prospect, traffic was paralyzed because of the large number of attendants. It was suggested that Mehdiyev was killed due to his nationality. At one time, Mehdiyev lead the international department of the Islamic Cultural Center of Russia. -02D-