Russia FSB eliminates suicide squad on assassination bid

Russia's top security agency claimed to have eliminated a 'suicide squad' which was planning terror attacks to assassinate the newly appointed leadership of country's Caucasian Republic of Ingusethia.

Russia's top security agency on Saturday claimed to have eliminated a 'suicide squad' which was planning terror attacks to assassinate the newly appointed leadership of country's Caucasian Republic of Ingusethia.

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"Acting on orders from militant leader A Taziyev a.KA "Magas," one Mutaliyev a.KA "Abdullah" sent in January 2009 a group of suicide-bombers to Ingushetia capital Nazran to prepare terrorist attacks against newly-appointed Ingush leaders," the Federal Security Service (FSB), the main counter-intelligence agency of Russia said in statement.

On Thursday morning, police cornered several militants in a house in south-west Nazran. The subsequent shootout lasted for an hour and a half before the house was blown up by holed up terrorists. Four police officers were killed and three injured in the operation, according to RIA Novosti.

Last November, President Dmitry Medvedev had appointed ia military officer Yunus-Bek Yevkurov as president of Ingushetia, as the situation in the republic divided among the traditional clans was slipping to the Chechnya like scenario.

Three militants, including one woman, died in the explosion, which had the force of the equivalent of 200 kilogrammes of TNT. Three nearby houses and a number of cars were also damaged.