Responsibility for the deadly suicide bomb attack on Moscow’s busiest airport last month has been claimed by Doku Umarov, a Chechen warlord high on the list of Russia’s most wanted. A video posted on the internet shows Doku dressed in army fatigues explaining that the bombing of Domodedovo airport was ordered by him as a reaction to crimes committed by Russia in the Caucasus.

The bomb was detonated on 24 January in the arrivals hall of the airport killing 36 and injuring 180. The hall was filled with airline passengers after the arrival of a number of international flights. Speaking in Russian, Umarov promised to continue the suicide attacks. He added that he would continue to wage jihad in the name of Allah and that he has hundreds of fighters prepared to sacrifice themselves against the racist regime of Russia.

Umarov was security minister in the separatist Chechen government between 1996 and 1999. He remains one of the few active rebel leaders in the North Caucasus and is the head of the militant Islamist group known as the Caucasus Emirate.

Umarov is thought to have given the orders for the bombing of a train travelling between Moscow and St Petersburg in 2009 in which 26 people died; and has claimed he is the one responsible for the suicide attacks on the Moscow Metro in 2010 which left 39 people dead.

According to Russian experts, the Domodedovo bomber was a man from the North Caucasus aged 20. Several prominent transport and security officials were sacked by President Medvedev in the aftermath of the attack.