One of the most powerful government figures in Russia's restive Caucasus region has been detained in dramatic fashion in connection with a murder probe. A team of 40 security officers in masks swooped on Said Amirov, the mayor of Makhachkala in Dagestan, and then whisked him away in a helicopter. Amirov, who has survived 16 assassination attempts and is called "The Undying", was nabbed on suspicion of involvement in the death of Arsen Gadzhibekov, a state investigator, in 2011.
The long-standing mayor was seized at home on Saturday in a special operation that had armored personnel carriers blocking off local streets. By Sunday, Amirov, who has used a wheelchair since he was wounded in an attempt on his life in 1993, was already in Moscow, where he was escorted by special forces and carried up steps into the city's Basmanny Court. As he sat in a caged dock, he said, "I don't know why I was arrested. This is a politically fabricated case. It has no prospects. I will answer for every deed, every word, every sheet of paper."
Amirov's lawyer said, "My client categorically refuses to admit his charge. He believes he's become a victim of political games. A new leadership. New rows. There was a lot he got in the way of, he has a lot of enemies there [in Dagestan]."