KHANKALA. Sept 27 (Interfax-AVN) - Arab mercenary Abu Al-Walid, who was killed in Chechnya in April, opened terrorist training camps and supervised financing of militants, representative of the regional headquarters for the anti-terrorist campaign in the North Caucasus Major General Ilya Shabalkin told Interfax.
"Al-Walid supervised terrorist training camps and distributed funds from abroad," he said.
"He took part in the preparation and controlled acts of sabotage and terrorism in the Caucasus and other areas of Russia. He also supervised the development of extensive underground terrorist network in nearly all of South Russia, and some central and eastern regions," Shabalkin said.
The Federal Security Service officially confirmed the death of Al-Walid, he said.
"The Federal Security Service has reliable evidence to the federal forces' killing of Abu Al-Walid, ringleader of an illegal armed unit, operative of international terrorist organizations and Arab mercenary," he said.
Abu Al-Walid, whose real name is Aziz bin Sayed bin Ali Al-Gamdi, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, was a close associate to operative of international terrorism, Arab mercenary Emir Khattab, who was killed in 2002. Al-Walid was a close partner and a first deputy of Khattab, Shabalkin said.
When Khattab was killed in late March 2002, the Moslem Brothers international terrorist organization entrusted Al-Walid with some powers in the financing and coordination of illegal armed units in Chechnya, Shabalkin said.
Arab mercenary Abu Khavs has succeeded to Khattab and Al-Walid as a functionary of Al-Qaeda international terrorist organization in Chechnya, he said.
Shabalkin told Interfax earlier that Khavs, Al-Walid and Khattab got acquainted with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and went to Tajikistan in 1993 by his instruction. They fought in Tajikistan for two years and came to Chechnya in 1995 to organize and commit terrorist acts against federal forces, local civilians, police and administrations.