Vienna - Austrian police arrested six Chechens on Wednesday for possible involvement in the murder of a Chechen refugee earlier this month, the Vienna public prosecutor's office said.

Prosecutor Gerhard Jarosch confirmed a report by Austrian broadcaster ORF that the six suspects were arraigned and that several house searches were conducted in Vienna and other provinces.

The shooting of Umar Israilov on January 13 in Vienna was likely politically motivated, as he had brought a torture case against Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov before the European Court of Human Rights.

Israilov, 27, had warned police before his death that he was being threatened and followed, but had received no protection.

Before Wednesday's arrests, another Chechen refugee was taken into custody soon after the shooting on suspicion that he drove the two killers from the crime scene in his car. (dpa)