MAKHACHKALA, Russia — A journalist in Russia's North Caucasus was shot dead on Tuesday after repeated threats and an attempt on his life.
Akhmednabi Akhmednabiyev, an editor at a local weekly newspaper critical of authorities and contributor to leading online source Caucasian Knot, was gunned down in his car Tuesday morning by unknown attackers outside his home and died on the spot, said police spokeswoman Fatina Ubaidatova in Dagestan.
Akhmednabiyev was chief political correspondent at Novoye Delo, a top local newspaper that reported on alleged corruption in the government. He survived an attempt on his life in January and has received numerous threats.
Dagestan, in the North Caucasus, has become an epicenter of violence, with Islamist rebels targeting police and other officials in near-daily shootings and bombings, making it one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work in Russia.
Akhmednabiyev's name is on a list of alleged militants and "accomplices" that has been circulating since 2009 by anonymous authors vowing to avenge security forces killed in the fighting. Another journalist on the list, Khadzhimurad Kamalov, founder of major local newspaper Chernovik, was killed outside his office in December 2011.
Russia's top investigative body in Moscow said in a statement that it is handling the case and it suspects Akhmednabiyev's journalistic work could be the motive for the attack.
