Planner of Atatürk Airport attack, Ahmet Chatayev, thought to be key liaison between Daesh terrorists and Caucasus militants
Ahmet Chatayev, considered to be planner of the attack on Atatürk Airport that killed 44 people and wounded 239 others, has been discovered to be a liaison between Daesh terrorists and Caucasus militants.
The investigation revealed that Chatayev also has links with Diana Ramazanova, who organized the attack that martyred a policeman in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district in January 2015.
Also a large number of cell houses raided by security forces are said to be controlled by Chatayev.
Chatayev, a representative of the Caucasian Emirate, a militant organization active in southwestern Russia, had lived in Turkey for long time and knows Istanbul well.
He became the Turkey representative of the Caucasian Emirate after Berghaz Musaev, another representative, was killed by Russian agents in his house in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu district. and in 2014, he joined Daesh terrorist group.
Caucasian-origin militants, particularly Chechens, are known to play an increasingly prominent role in Daesh since that date.
The airport attack was reported to have been conducted by a group of militants who drifted away from Caucasian Emirate and joined Daesh.
Chatayev was reported to have lost an arm in clashes in Chechnya and one of his feet while attempting to flee to Dagestan from Georgia.
