they criticised him for claiming responsibility for the 2010 Moscow Metro bombings). They then removed themselves and their forces from Umarov's command. In a video, they also announced Gekayev has been elected the Emir of Chechnya. Two months later, the mutiny leaders also jointly appealed for the support of all Chechens, including those abroad, who support their vision of a free Chechnya under Islamic Sharia law. At the same time, however, Gakayev stressed that the Chechen fighters are not abandoning the idea of the joint North Caucasus emirate, in the name of which they would continue to fight, and assured the "brothers", (fellow Muslims), in Dagestan, Ingushetia, North Ossetia, and Kabardino-Balkaria that they will remain ready to render them assistance. In October 2010, the Chechen government of Ramzan Kadyrov accused Gakayev of organising the August attack on Kadyrov's fortified home village of Tsentoroy while supposedly acting under orders from the exiled Chechen nationalist leader Akhmed Zakayev. A few days later, a Chechen Interior Ministry official again accused him of organising the Chechen Parliament attack as "a way to loudly proclaim that he is the new leader, and send a message to his foreign sponsors," an opinion which was shared by some independent observers such as Pavel Baev or Yulia Latynina. Zakayev, for his part, had formally acknowledged Gakayev as Chechnya's legitimate wartime leader, however he disclaimed any connection with the parliament attack, or any knowledge of who was behind it. Death According to a press release from the Chechen Interior Ministry, on or around 17 January 2013 a well-camouflaged guerrilla base was discovered in a gorge in the Shatoi district. Over the next six days a search operation was carried out in the area; on 23 January a group of gunmen opened fire on police near Elistanzhi – Gakayev's native village – killing two and injuring six. Fighting continued the following day with insurgents in the heavily forested mountains of the Vedensky district. According to Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov, a prolonged conversation took place with the militants via radio. Given the chance to surrender, Gakayev refused while offering to release the younger militants among his group who had yet to commit serious crimes. Kadyrov claimed that the insurgents then began firing on Russian forces, at which point it was decided to destroy the group. Killed alongside Khuseyn and Muslim Gakayev were Isa Vagapov, Akhmed Labazanov, Umar Dadayev, Sidik Abazov, Ruslan