Gunmen kill police officer, 2 others in Russia's North Caucasus

FILE - The Ingushetian flag flies near Michurino, Russia. Gunmen opened fire on a car carrying a local security official in the Ingushetia region in the North Caucasus, killing three people, Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported Oct. 12, 2024.

Gunmen opened fire on a car carrying a local security official in Russia's Ingushetia region in the North Caucasus, killing three people, including a police officer, Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported early Saturday, quoting investigators.

Tass quoted a local branch of Russia's Investigative Committee as saying a car assigned to the deputy head of Ingushetia's Center for Countering Extremism had come under fire Friday evening.

The local branch said a criminal investigation had been opened into the incident and those behind the attack were being sought.

The Tass report said the gunmen had fled the scene and headed toward the neighboring region of North Ossetia.

Ingushetia is adjacent to Chechnya in the heart of the often-volatile North Caucasus region.