Two Shali residents are among attackers in Chechnya - Investigative Committee
MOSCOW. Aug 20 (Interfax) - Investigators have identified two of the people who attacked policemen in Chechnya as residents of Shali, the Investigative Committee said on its official WhatsApp channel on Monday.
"Two of the attackers have already been identified. They are residents of the town of Shali," the agency said.
"All circumstances of the crime will be established in the course of the investigation, including persons involved in organizing and committing the attack on law enforcement officers. Investigators will thoroughly evaluate every fact from a legal perspective, and it is possible that the attackers' actions may be additionally qualified under other articles of the Russian Criminal Code," it said.
According to investigators, on August 20, two men armed with knives attempted to force an entry through a checkpoint into the premises of the Chechen Interior Ministry's Shali branch around 10:30 a.m. The men injured two policemen with knives.
"Around the same time, a young man carrying a backpack approached the police post in the village of Mesker-Yurt and tried to blow himself [but survived]. No police officers or civilians were injured in the explosion," the Investigative Committee said.
"In addition, a driver in a Mercedes car attempted to hit a traffic officer at a post on Khankalskaya Street on the way to Grozny. Police then announced a plan of measures to intercept him. While evading pursuit, the Mercedes driver deliberately ran over two traffic officers in downtown Grozny. Policemen fired an automatic weapon at the car in order to stop the wrongdoer. The perpetrators were neutralized as a result of police officers' suppression of the attackers' illegal actions," the agency said.
"Investigative teams are currently working at the scenes of the incidents. Investigators are recording evidence of the crimes and identifying and questioning witnesses," it said.