Regional official assassinated in Russia's Caucasus
18/10/2004 - 08:28:29A senior official in the government of Karachayevo-Cherkessiya, in Russia’s restive Caucasus Mountains region, was shot dead today by unidentified assailants, according to Russian news reports.
Ansar Tebuyev, who served as deputy chief of the regional government in charge of law enforcement agencies, was killed just 100 yards away from the headquarters of the local branch of Russia’s Interior Ministry in the regional capital Cherkessk.
The Interfax news agency said two gunmen fired on Tebuyev’s vehicle as it stopped at a traffic light, killing him instantly. Police have launched a hunt for the murderers.
Sergei Nikulin, chief investigator for the local branch of the Interior Ministry, wouldn’t comment on possible motives, Interfax said. Tebuyev had worked in the region’s police force before being appointed to the local government.
The province has been plagued by frequent contract murders and other violence, some linked to rivalry between local criminal clans and some spilling over from Chechnya, further to the East.
ITAR-Tass said that seven people had gone missing in Karachayevo-Cherkessiya over the past week, and their relatives have asked the federal government to help investigate the disappearances.
The local legislature scheduled an emergency session for tomorrow to discuss the criminal situation in the province.
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