A female suicide bomber blew herself up during a police anti-militant operation in an Ingush village, injuring a local law officer, who later died in hospital, the Itar-Tass news agency reported Friday.
The bombing happened in the village of Ekazhevo at around 13:20 Moscow time, when the female bomber managed to make her way towards police who had cordoned off a site for a special operation against militants, a source told the Itar-Tass.
"The woman ignored the demands to stop and set off the explosive device attached to her body. One person was injured," the source said.
The terrorist was identified as Marina Yevloyeva, 26, a resident of the Kantyshevo village of Nazran region of Ingushetia, an investigator told the Interfax news agency.
"Investigators currently have information that she was the wife of one of the militants blockaded in the house in Ekazhevo and was trying to get to her husband through the police cordon," the source said.
According to the RIA Novosti news agency the suicide bomber had earlier tried to shoot a local police chief but missed and injured another police officer.
"A woman approached a group of police officers and fired at the Nazran police chief, but instead shot another one, injuring him," a local police spokesman told the RIA Novosti.
Meanwhile, the Ingush Interior Ministry has had information about one more suicide bomber, who was preparing to commit a terrorist act in the republic, a source in the ministry told Itar-Tass Friday.
Despite the suicide attack, the operation against the militants was completed, with three militants killed and three police officers injured in a shootout and taken to hospital.
This was the second suicide bombing aimed at law enforcers in Ingushetia this week. On Monday, a terrorist blew himself up and a powerful car bomb went off near the city police office in Karabulak, killing two police officers.