Chechen Poet Murdered in Moscow

According to this BBC article, Chechen poet Ruslan Akhtakhanov was shot dead in Moscow, in what police are calling a "contract killing."

From the article:

The 58-year-old was shot several times by an unidentified gunman as he left his car outside his home in north-west Moscow on Tuesday night.

Mr Akhtakhanov had opposed the Chechen separatist movement, believing Chechnya should remain part of Russia.

"An unknown person shot at Akhtakhanov twice: first in the leg and then in the head," the Investigations Committee of Russia said in a statement.

The Interfax news agency quoted police sources as saying that Mr Akhtakhanov was shot at about midnight and that the killer escaped in a car which was later found several blocks away.

A pistol with a silencer was found in the car.