Chechnya: Attempt to kill leader averted

GROZNY, Russia, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Chechen police saved the life of President Ramzan Kadyrov Friday when they shot the driver of a speeding car carrying a large bomb, officials said.

Roman Edilov, the deputy interior minister, said the car was heading toward a construction site in Grozny where Kadyrov was scheduled to join Adam Delimkhanov, a member of the Chechen parliament, the Novosti news agency reported.

Police were suspicious because they spotted a large container in the car, Edilov said. They fired warning shots and then killed the driver when he refused orders to stop.

Edilov said the container held more than 400 pounds of explosives.

Kadyrov, a former separatist militant, has committed to ending efforts to win complete independence for Chechnya. His father, Akhmad Kadyrov, who joined the Russian government at the beginning of the Second Chechen War, became president in 2003 and was assassinated a year later.