Chechen terrorist leader calls for attacks on 2014 Winter Games in Sochi

MOSCOW (AP) -- A leading Chechen rebel on Wednesday called on Islamist militants in Russia's North Caucasus to disrupt the upcoming Winter Games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, reversing his previous appeal not to target civilians in the region.

Sochi is hosting the Winter Olympics in February in what has been described as President Vladimir Putin's pet project. The overall bill for the games stands at $51 billion, making them by far the most expensive Olympics in history.

Doku Umarov, a widely known Chechen rebel leader, urged his men to "do their utmost to derail" the games which he described as "satanic dances on the bones of our ancestors."

"We have the obligation to use all means to prevent this," he said in a video published on a rebel website on Wednesday.

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