Tue December 3, 2002 09:47 AM ET
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark's Justice Ministry said Tuesday it had released Akhmed Zakayev, a senior Chechen separatist held in detention in Copenhagen since late October while Russia sought his extradition.
The ministry said in a statement it had not received enough evidence from Russian authorities to extradite Zakayev, a top aide to fugitive Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov.
"The decision is that an extradition cannot take place based on the material available," the ministry said. "Zakayev has been set free and may now freely leave Denmark."
Danish police took Zakayev into custody on October 30 at the request of the Russian prosecutor general's office while he was in Denmark for a Chechen exiles' conference, just days after Chechen gunmen took hundreds hostage in a Moscow theater.
Russia wanted Zakayev to be extradited to stand trial for crimes it alleges he committed in 1996-99.
Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller, whose country holds the European Union presidency, told reporters he did not expect the decision to lead to any deterioration in relations between Denmark and Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry declined to comment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened last month to boycott an EU-Russia summit in Copenhagen in protest against Denmark's decision to allow the Chechen conference to take place.
Putin attended the summit after the venue was moved to Brussels.
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