Police car blown up in Dagestan region

MAKHACHKALA, Russia – A police car was hit by an explosion Tuesday night in the capital of Russia’s Dagestan region, killing one officer, an official said.

The car was blown up, apparently by a remote-controlled device, regional Interior Ministry spokeswoman Marina Rasulova said. She said one police officer was killed and at least three were wounded.

The blast could be heard in the center of Makhachkala, the regional capital. Dagestan borders Chechnya and is plagued by violence, some of it linked to the war between Russian forces and Chechen rebels.

Dagestan also is plagued by lawlessness, some of it linked to powerful criminal gangs.

The Caspian Sea territory has been hit recently by a series of bombings against law enforcement authorities. A suspect detained earlier this year was carrying a detailed hit list of high-ranking police officers, including their home addresses and license plate numbers, authorities said.