An uncle of Murat Zyazikov, the president of the South Russian internal republic of Ingushetia, was kidnapped by unidentified attackers on Friday, Russian news agencies reported.

The uncle of Murat Zyazikov was abducted when a group of the Ingush president’s relatives were attacked on Friday, a high-ranking official of the republic’s government told Interfax.

“Three relatives of the republic’s head were attacked when they were en route to a mosque. They came under fire from a passing car. Two people were wounded. The third relative — the uncle of the republic’s head — was kidnapped,” he said.

Ingushetia is an internal republic in the North Caucasus bordering Chechnya. The Ingush people are ethnically close to Chechens.

Murat Zyazikov was elected president of Ingushetia in 2002. Before this, Zyazikov worked as Russian president’s envoy to the Southern Federal District.

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