Skinheads burn down Azeri, Armenian cafes in Russia

Agence France Presse — English
September 9, 2004 Thursday 3:55 PM GMT

MOSCOW Sept 9 — A gang of young skinheads set fire Thursday to several
cafes owned by ethnic Azeri and Armenians in the Russian Urals city
of Yekaterinburg, torching them to the ground and killing one person
and injuring two, reports said.

Police arrested eight youths, aged between seven and 19, following
the overnight attacks.

NTV television reported five cafes had been torched, although the
Gazeta.ru Internet site said three had been attacked.

The gang set fire to the cafes after first surrounding them and
smashing them with chains and bats, reports said.

Xenophobic attacks have occurred regularly in major Russian cities in
recent years. They have generally targeted African and Asian students,
as well as diplomats and traders from Central Asia and the Caucasus.