A SUSPECTED member of a Chechen gang was arrested in Moscow while carrying nearly 18lb of mercury, and authorities believe he intended to use the poison in a terror attack, police said yesterday.

Moscow police have arrested a suspected Chechen rebel caught with a large amount of poisonous mercury, local reports said today.

Facing growing criticism of the secrecy surrounding how the Moscow theatre siege was ended, Russian officials today showed off explosives and other evidence found at the scene.