Russian special services have information that [Chechen separatist leader Aslan] Maskhadov and [field commander Shamil] Basayev are planning large-scale acts of terrorism, a representative of the regional headquarters for the antiterrorist operation in the North Caucasus told RIA on Monday [17 January].
"Russian special services have information that Aslan Maskhadov and Shamil Basayev have ordered to carry out large-scale terrorist attacks against civilian population in republics neighbouring on Chechnya," the spokesman said.
The rebels' aim is to destabilize the situation across the North Caucasus. Law-enforcement officers in Ingushetia and Dagestan are undertaking comprehensive steps to track down terrorists and their accomplices, the source added.

Source: RIA news agency, Moscow
BBC Monitoring