A Communist Party deputy has died in the North Caucasus republic of Chechnya after his car came under fire.
Duma deputy Muhmad Askhabov was traveling to work on Friday morning when the car he was in was shot at by unknown assailants, the local branch of the Investigative Committee said in an online statement.
Investigators did not specify whether the deputy was behind the wheel at the time.
The car flipped over several times following the shooting after its driver lost consciousness, according to a description of the incident from Investigative Committee spokesperson Maryam Nalayeva, cited by the RBC outlet.
Chechnya’s Information Minister Dzhambulat Umarov told RBC the attack may have been an act of terrorism.
In an online statement issued in response to Askhabov’s death, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov described the deputy as “a friend, a brother and a colleague.”