Hours later a court ordered the release of Akhmed Zakayev pending a decision on whether he can be extradited to Russia. Conference organizer Adam Borowski said the court decision means Zakayev will stay in Poland until courts decided whether he can be extradited to Russia.

Zakayev, who was granted asylum in Britain years ago, says the accusations against him are made up. He says he represents the political faction of Chechnya's separatist movement, and has no connection to the military wing spearheading the region's insurgency.

At Russia's request, international police agency Interpol had put out a “red notice” on Zakayev — the equivalent of putting him on its most-wanted list. Russia accuses the 51-year-old activist of kidnapping and murder during a separatist war in Chechnya in the 1990s.

Zakayev was apprehended Friday morning “without any trouble” and turned over to prosecutors, Polish police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said.

Russia's ambassador to Poland, Alexander Alekseev, said this week that Russia “has proof” Zakayev was involved in terrorism, and Moscow expected Poland to detain him if he came to the country.

Polish authorities in the past have been supportive of the small Chechen diaspora there, but said they would be obliged to arrest Zakayev if he came for the conference, given the Russian warrant against him. Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said, however, that the matter should be solved between Russia and Britain.

Britain granted Zakayev asylum in 2003, and its refusal to extradite him has strained relations between Moscow and London.