Politkovskaya Murder Ordered by Berezovsky 'for Putin's Birthday' -Report

Russians hold pictures of murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya and carry placards as they commemorate her killing during a rally in Moscow, Russia, 07 October 2010. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Russian tycoon in exile Boris Berezovsky may have ordered the notorious 2006 assassination of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a suspect has hinted.

The suspect, former police officer Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov. described in detail the preparation of the attack and suggested that it could have been ordered by Berezovsky, Kommersant reports.

Lom-Ali Gaytukaev, a Chechen citizen believed to have masterminded the assassination, has insisted that it should be preferably carried out on Vladimir Putin's birthday, Pavlyuchenkov has also claimed.

Once a supporter of Vladimir Putin, Berezovsky clashed with him after his election as President in 2000 and remains a vocal critic.

Anna Politkovskaya, journalist from Novaya Gazeta, was shot dead in Moscow on October 7, 2006.

In 2008, it was reported that Politkovskaya's murder might have been ordered by a politician inside Russia. Murad Musayev, a lawyer for the three suspects, told journalists that the case notes, as one of the interpretations of the crime, mentioned that a politician, based in Russia (but not named in those notes), was behind her death.

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