Speaking at a press conference in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria Republic Interior Minister Yury Tomchak said that \"wahhabism is not a crime, it\'s a religious tendency,\" according to \"Gazeta yuga\" as reposted on February 1 on kavkazweb.net. In a clear reference to the indiscriminate reprisals against young Muslims carried out by his predecessor, Lieutenant General Khachim Shogenov, Tomchak said that his ministry\'s efforts to apprehend Islamic militants out to \"overthrow the existing system\" should not be seen as a struggle with a specific religious tendency, but as an attempt to redress \"the damage inflicted by our colleagues.\" (RFE/RL)