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Brazilian who shot robber in Rio is not Russian vice-consul — official

Earlier, some media outlets said that a Russian diplomat had shot dead a Brazilian who wanted to rob him

RIO DE JANEIRO, August 5 /TASS/. A Brazilian national who shot a robber in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday is not an employee of a Russian diplomatic mission abroad, Russian General Consul in Rio de Janeiro Vladimir Tokmakov told TASS.

"This Brazilian citizen is not an employee of any diplomatic mission and has got nothing to do with Russian institutions abroad," he said.

Earlier, some media outlets said that a Russian diplomat had shot dead a Brazilian who wanted to rob him. The General Consulate got in touch with the 31st military police battalion in Rio de Janeiro, which is responsible for the area in which the shooting incident had occurred.

They replied that a robber had attacked Brazilian Marcos Cezar Serias Braga near the Outback restaurant in the western part of Rio at 14:50 local time (20:50 Moscow time) on August 4. Serias Braga put resistance to the assailant. He took away his weapon and shot at him.

The attacker died immediately. An investigation is under way. Police are trying to establish why Serias Braga called himself a Russian vice-consul.