A top police official has been shot dead in Russia's republic of North Ossetia. Mark Metsayev was the head of the republic's department for fighting organised crime. Police are linking the murder to Metsayev's professional activities.
The gunmen were said to have attacked him when he was driving in the centre of Vladikavkaz, the republic’s capital. Metsayev managed to ram the attackers' car, but they escaped. Meantime, police are questioning witnesses. The republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs has formed a special commission to investigate the murder.