"Last week, police from the antiterrorism unit in the Aktyubinsk region detained Saidhussein Murtazaliyev, who is known by the nickname of The Hangman and used to be a banker for terrorist Shamil Basayev," said Bagat Kozhakhmetov, the ministry's spokesman.
Basayev, who orchestrated some of Russia's worst terrorist attacks, including the 2004 Beslan school siege, was killed in July 2006 together with 12 other militants in a special operation in the republic of Ingushetia.
The Kazakh official said Murtazaliyev was an active member of illegal armed groups in the North Caucasus and was sought by Russia on charges of extortion. He is now awaiting extradition to Russia at a detention facility in the Aktyubinsk region.
Although the active phase of the North Caucasus antiterrorism campaign officially ended in 2001, periodic bombings and clashes between gunmen and federal troops still disrupt Chechnya and nearby regions, including Daghestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachayevo-Circassia.
Following the killing of Shamil Basayev, Russian authorities announced a partial amnesty July 15, 2006, for militants who had not been involved in major atrocities. Officials say more than 600 militants have surrendered since then, mainly in Chechnya.
