Poland: Exiled Chechen leader faces arrest

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WARSAW, Poland, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Poland said no arrest warrant has been issued for an exiled Chechen separatist, but the leader will be arrested if he visits Warsaw for a Chechen gathering.

The Polish Prosecutor General's Office said no warrant is out for the arrest of Akhmed Zakayev, but he will be taken into custody if he attempts to attend the Sept. 16-18 World Congress of Chechen people in Warsaw, which organizers have invited the exiled leader to attend, RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.

The office denied a Polish police spokesman's earlier statement that an arrest warrant had been issued for Zakayev.

"This information was false. The Polish prosecutor's office has not issued an additional arrest warrant against Akhmed Zakayev because there is no case against him in Poland," Prosecutor General's Office spokesman Mateusz Martyniuk said.

Martyniuk said Zakayev, who bills himself as the prime minister of the self-styled Chechen republic of Ichkeria, will still be arrested if he is spotted in Warsaw.

Zakayev was granted political asylum by British authorities in 2002 and currently resides in London. Russia issued an arrest warrant for the leader in 2001, accusing him of terrorist activities.