MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. The murder of the chief of Ingushetia’s anti-extremism center, Ibragim Eldzhrkiyev, in Moscow was a contract killing linked with his professional activities, a source in the law enforcement agencies told TASS on Saturday.

Eldzharkiyev and his brother were shot and killed on Academician Anokhin Stree in the west of Moscow on Saturday evening. The killer fled the scene in a car. The police are after him.

"All possible theories are being looked at. The key theory is linked with his office activities. He had a conflict with religious extremist groups in the republic," the source said, adding that Eldzharkiev was in Moscow on private business. The source also said that the man his family had received numerous threats.

According to the source, the killed used foreign-made weapons. "The killer made at least nine shots at the Ingushetia anti-extremism center’s chief and his brother. The magazines of most of Russian-made pistols contain only eight bullets. In this case, the shooter obviously did not bother that he might run out of bullets. So, he might have used a Stechkin, a Yarygin or a foreign-made handgun," he said.

Meanwhile, the Russian Investigative Committee confirmed Eldzarkiyev’s murder and opened a criminal case.

"According to investigators, an unidentified man shot and killed two men in the west of Moscow. One of those killed was identified as the chief of Ingushetia’s anti-extremism center. The two men died instantly. A criminal case was opened under part 2, article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code (murder of two or more people)," a committee’s spokesman told TASS.

According to the law enforcement agencies, Eldzarkiyev survived an assassination attempt in January 2019 when his car came under gunfire while moving from Chechnya to Ingushetia. Three policemen who were in the car received serious gun wounds. Eldzharkiyev was intact.