MAKHACHKALA, Russia (AP) — Police say a suicide bomber blew up an explosives-packed car at a police station in Russia’s troubled North Caucasus, killing six officers and wounding 16.
The bombing occurred at the traffic police station on the outskirts of Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan.
City police chief Shamil Guseinov says the bomber detonated the explosives at the gates to the station after police stopped him from driving through. This, he says, prevented further casualties.
Wednesday’s bombing was similar to a bombing in a neighboring republic in August that killed 24 people and injured more than 200.
Russia’s predominantly Muslim republics in the North Caucasus have seen a sharp rise in violence in the past year, with many of the attacks targeting police.