Police have engaged a group of militants in the capital of Russia’s southern Republic of Ingushetia. Two civilians have been wounded.
The shootout in Nazran started when police tried to detain suspected criminals. One of the two men was shot on the spot, while the other one hijacked a van and took two people hostage.
Then a hand grenade which the militant had with him detonated, allegedly after being struck by a bullet. The man was fatally wounded, while the hostages received injuries.
Three streets around the spot where the firefight erupted have been declared off-limits for the public and the media, as the operation against the militants continues.
The police have also blocked off the apartment where the militants were hiding. Apparently their accomplices may still be there.