MOSCOW, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- A suspect in the killing of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya came close to death when he was shot in Moscow, his lawyer said Thursday.
Dzhabrail Makhmudov is one of five defendants currently on trial in Moscow. Prosecutors say his brother, Rustam, was the killer who gunned down Politkovskaya in 2006 in her Moscow apartment building while the others helped plan the assassination.
Makhmudov was wounded in the thigh about 11 p.m. Wednesday, RIA Novosti reported. His lawyer, Murad Musayev, said the bullet came close to the femoral artery.
Musayev, writing on Facebook, said his client was "unbelievably lucky."
Prosecutors argued Thursday the trial of the other defendants should continue. Musayev says Makhmudov should be able to walk on crutches in a week and that removing him from the proceedings would be unfair.
The judge said a decision will be made next week. .
Politkovskaya, who wrote for the opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta, became known for her reporting on Chechnya and was critical of the Russian government.
The other defendants include a third Makhmudov brother, Ibragim, their uncle, Lom-Ali Gaitukayev, and a former police officer, Sergei Khadzhikurbanov.
