Authorities in Russia have made 5 arrests... in the ongoing investigation into the murder of Boris Nemtsov -- an outspoken critic of the Kremlin. <br />With more, we turn to Paul Yi at the news center. <br />Paul, authorities are calling it a "contract killing"... allegedly carried out by these men.<br />Any details released on their backgrounds?<br /><br />All five suspects are said to be Chechen... from Russia's predominately Muslim Northern Caucuses.<br />Two of them, including an ex-policeman, have been charged with murder by a Moscow court.<br />However, Nemtsov's closest allies are rejecting the narrative that his death was the result of religious extremism, but rather a politically motivated terror attack.<br />Arirang's Connie Kim reports. <br />A Moscow court has charged two men accused of plotting to kill Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, an outspoken Kremlin critic.<br />Zaur Dadayev, a former police officer who fought Islamic insurgents, admitted he was involved in the killing, while the second suspect, Anzor Gubashev, pleaded innocent.<br />Russian state television showed the men's arrival in court, wearing handcuffs and covering their faces.<br />Three other suspects have been jailed.<br />All five men are of Chechen origin, which could potentially be a sensitive issue in Russia, as many Russians view Chechens as violent extremists. <br />A sixth suspect reportedly blew himself up with a grenade in a standoff with police in the Chechen capital of Grozny.<br /><br />Nemtsov was assassinated in late February, days before he was set to address a major anti-government rally.<br />He was also to publish a report on the Russian military's involvement in the war in Ukraine, despite Moscow's denial that it has supplied separatists with troops and weapons.<br /><br />The biggest question now is who ordered Nemtsov's assassination.<br />Some of his supporters have gone so far as to say the Russian government was behind the killing.<br />Russian officials deny that, and President Vladimir Putin has condemned the killing and pledged to do everything to find a
