MOSCOW. Jan 20 (Interfax-AVN) - Terrorism still poses a major threat in Russia, said Yury Demidov, first deputy chief of the Interior Ministry's organized crime department.
"A series of terrorist attacks, which have heavily undermined public security and order in the country, are maintaining the terrorist threat at a critical level," Demidov told a news conference on Tuesday.
A total of 561 terrorist attacks were perpetrated in Russia last year, which is 55.8% more than in 2002.
"More than 400 terrorist attacks were staged in southern Russia, including 386 in Chechnya," he said.
The 2003 death toll from terrorism stands at over 200, while more than 600 people were injured.
Demidov said that terrorists are constantly changing their tactics. He said that detonating trucks packed with explosives or sending suicide-bombers into public places are among the most common ways of staging attacks.
Eighty-six cases dealing with terrorist attacks were solved in 2003, and 43 criminal cases opened on terrorism charges were sent to court.
Some 500 rebels were detained in Chechnya last year.
Demidov said that comprehensive preventative efforts have also contributed to the fight against terror.
A terrorist training camp was discovered in Chechnya's Shali district last year. "Eighteen members of an organized criminal group in charge of training terrorists were detained," he said.
"In addition, a large cache containing home-made explosive devices and 15 kilograms of a mixture of ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder was discovered in the immediate vicinity of a highway outside the village of Ordzhonikidzevskaya in Chechnya's Sunzhen district yesterday," Demidov said.
"More than 1,000 home-made explosive devices were confiscated in Russia last year, half of them in Chechnya," he said.