Grozny knife attacker identified by Chechnya Interior Ministry

A local department of the Interior Ministry in Russia's Chechnya identified a man who was shot dead after attacking a police officer.

"This was a resident of the Chechen Republic, born in 1997", the statement reads. A smooth-bore rifle was found in the attacker’s car.

A spokesperson for the National Guard in Chechnya said earlier that the officer who shot the suspect was off duty when he saw a man attacking traffic police and stepped in.

"The National Guard officer saw what was going on and shot his gun at the attacker and was wounded by him", Sputnik cited the spokesperson as saying,

He added that no civilian was hurt in the incident due to the officers’ quick reaction and professionalism.

On June 23, a traffic police officer stopped the suspect, who was driving a Hyundai, in the centre of Grozny at 6:05 p.m. local time (15:05 GMT) and asked for his ID. The driver stabbed the police officer and was shot. 

An injured police officer was taken to the Interior Ministry's hospital in a stable condition. Local authorities have reportedly launched the investigation into the incident.