Russian intelligence agency accused of poisoning Chechens in Istanbul

Kaim Saduev has died in Istanbul after eating wild garlic sent from Chechnya. His relatives claim that it is a 'Litvinenko-style murder' A Chechen activist has died in Istanbul after being hospitalized with his family members for food poisoning, as some of his relatives and Turkish activists accuse the Russian intelligence agency of poisoning wild garlic sent to him from Chechnya.

The 47-year-old Kaim Saduev, who had settled in Istanbul's Ba?ak?ehir neighborhood after fleeing his war-torn homeland 11 years ago, received a package from his sister in Chechnya on Feb. 23.  The Saduev family ate their dinner the same day, in which they used wild garlic included in the package as an ingredient. Falling ill, they were all hospitalized for food poisoning at a hospital in the Bak?rköy neighborhood.

Though his wife and one of his hospitalized children survived the incident, Saduev died in the intensive care unit on March 2.

During the funeral ceremony at Istanbul's Fatih Mosque on March 3, several of Saduev's relatives claimed "the Russian intelligence poisoned him like former KGB agent Alexendar Litvinenko and Arab fighters in Chechnya."

"We all ate the food. I was not harmed, but my father died. They poisoned the honk (the wild garlic species)," 19-year-old Cabir Saduev said.

The deceased man's father Alvi Saduev said he lost his fifth son and "feels lonely."

"Four of my sons had been martyred by the Russians in the past [while fighting in Chechnya]," he added.

The head of the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (?HH), a conservative NGO in Turkey, said during the funeral that he also thought the Russian intelligence agency was behind Saduev's death. "I'm addressing my Chechen brothers: Be very...