Authorities believe the monks are being held somewhere near the border of the Russian separatist Republic of Chechnya. Many Georgians see the kidnapping as an attack by Chechnyans, who in the majority are Muslims, against the Orthodox.
Muslims´ Role Seen in Monks´ Kidnapping
TBILISI, Republic of Georgia, NOV. 28, 2001 (Zenit.org).- A group of armed men kidnapped six Orthodox monks in Georgia and demanded a ransom of $1 million, police in Tbilisi reported.