Gunman Kills Supreme Court Judge In Daghestan

A gunman has killed a senior judge in Daghestan in Russia's restive North Caucasus region.

A spokesman for the local Interior Ministry said Magomed Magomedov, a judge on Daghestan's Supreme Court, was killed in a shooting attack in the center of the capital Makhachkala on January 15.

The attacker opened fire on Magomedov at close range and then fled the scene.

The 55-year-old judge worked on high-profile cases involving terrorists and Islamic insurgents. Police say Magomedov may have been killed in retaliation for convictions he has recently handed down.

Daghestan has seen an increase in violence, with several high-profile attacks on government officials and moderate Muslim religious leaders last year.

Most of the violence is linked to an Islamist insurgency fuelled by poverty.