MOSCOW, November 7. /TASS/. The ringleader of the so-called Makhachkala gang was shot dead in Russia's North Caucasus republic Dagestan on Saturday, a spokesman for Russia's National Anti-terrorism Committee has told TASS.
"On Saturday morning, an unidentified person opened fire at railway workers who were patrolling and inspecting the tracks near the village of Novy Khuchet on the outskirts of Makhachkala, killing one of the rail men and wounding the other," the spokesman said. "Police officers who arrived at the scene urgently spotted the gunman who had hidden in a partially constructed building."
"After he had turned down the law enforcers' offer to surrender and opened fire at them, he was neutralised in a brief exchange of fire," he said.
"The gunman was identified as the Makhachkala gang leader, Abdulgasan Abdulkhalikov, 42, earlier convicted for illegal arms possession and for participation in activities of illegal armed groups and who was on the federal wanted list," the committee said.
Automatic firearms, ammunition, sleeping bags and a grenade have been found at the scene of the armed clash.
The mode of the counter-terrorism operation was lifted at 6.00 p.m. Moscow time (3.00 p.m. GMT) in the localities near Dagestan’s capital Makhachkala, the committee’s spokesman said.