Two National Guard servicemen were injured by a grenade explosion while detaining armed suspects at a shopping mall in Russia’s southern republic of Ingushetia on Wednesday evening.
National Guard servicemen involved in counter-terrorism operations have frequently been targeted by militants in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region. Late last month, a gunman was killed in the nearby Krasnodar region after opening fire on two National Guard officers in a service car.
The latest attack happened at a shopping center in the Ingush town of Nazran at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the local branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement Thursday.
The two armed suspects reportedly resisted arrest by shooting at the National Guard officers attempting to detain them, before throwing an RGD grenade that injured the law enforcement officials.
The suspects were reportedly injured from the explosion and died from their wounds, the Investigative Committee said.
The National Guard said in a statement that the injured officers were being treated at a local hospital for their wounds.
Investigators said they have launched a probe into the attempted murder of law enforcement officials.
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