Russia's chief prosecutor told a court that a notorious...

Russia's chief prosecutor told a court that a notorious Chechen guerrilla leader on trial for his part in a bloody hostage-taking raid should spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Salman Raduyev, the most important Chechen militant ever captured by Russian forces, became one of Moscow's most wanted fugitives after leading the 1996 raid on the Dagestani town of Kizlyar, taking more than 2,000 people hostage. More than 70 people died before the attackers escaped despite a siege and assault by heavily armed Russian troops.
Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov said he could not ask for the death penalty as there was a moratorium on it in Russia.
"But we have a rather tough alternative to the death penalty - that is a life sentence," Russian television showed him telling the court.
"I suggest imposing this particular punishment on the basis of crimes committed, serving the sentence in a harsh regime."
Interfax news agency said Ustinov had recommended 15-year sentences for the three men on trial alongside Raduyev in the Dagestani capital Makhachkala.