(RIA Novosti) - The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament said Thursday that those responsible for the execution of four kidnapped Russian diplomats in Iraq should be found and brought to justice.
"Everything possible should be done to bring the murderers and organizers of the crime to justice," Boris Gryzlov said. "We cannot allow the tasks of investigation and punishment be put aside."
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Fyodor Zaitsev, 27; Anatoly Smirnov, 32; Rinat Agliulin, 28; and Oleg Fedoseyev, 45; had died serving their country, and showed strength and heroism. The men were kidnapped June 3 in a raid on a Russian Embassy car in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, reports Trend.
On Sunday, Arab television channel Al Jazeera reported referring to an Internet statement made by al-Qaeda in Iraq that terrorists had executed the four men in revenge for what they claimed was "the torture, killing and expulsion of our brothers and sisters by the infidel Russian government" in Chechnya.