A mastermind of the May 3 deadly terrorist attack in Dagestan’s capital city of Makhachkala was killed in a special police operation early on Wednesday, Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said.
Hussein Mamayev, the leader of the so-called "Makhachkala"gang, was surrounded in a building under construction in the outskirts of Makhachkala.
“The bandit refused to surrender and offered armed resistance,” the committee said in a statement. “He was killed by return fire.”
Police seized a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a handgun at the site.
A car bomb went off near a police checkpoint on the outskirts of Makhachkala on May 3 and another blast occurred in a Gazelle minivan shortly afterward. The explosions killed 13 and injured at least 100.
The search for another three militants suspected of involvement in the attack is underway.
Dagestan remains a hotbed of Islamic insurgency, with rebels regularly carrying out attacks on law enforcements and civilians in the North Caucasus republic.
