Three defendants have been killed in a court in the Russian capital, Moscow, after they tried to take the arms from security officers in an attempt to escape, officials say.<\/p>\n
The incident happened as five suspected gang members attacked the agents who were escorting them in a lift to a hearing, the Interior Ministry said.<\/p>\n
Three were killed when trying to escape. The two others suspects and three security officers were wounded.<\/p>\n
The building was briefly evacuated.<\/p>\n
The suspects were accused of being part of a group known as GTA Gang, named after the violent game series Grand Theft Auto.<\/p>\n
The group of Central Asian nationals was suspected of killing 17 motorists in the Moscow area between 2012 and 2014. They forced cars to stop on a main road and killed the drivers for reasons as yet unknown.<\/p>\n
All five suspects were handcuffed as they were being taken to a courtroom, Russia’s Investigative Committee said.<\/p>\n
One of the suspects attacked and tried to strangle a guard as others attempted to seize the officers’ weapons, it added. It was not immediately clear how they managed to free themselves.<\/p>\n
When the lift they were in opened on the third floor, Russian National Guard officers opened fire.<\/p>\n
The security officers injured include a National Guard member, who had a gunshot wound and was taken to hospital, and two police officers, who sustained various injuries, according to the Interior Ministry.<\/p>\n
A lawyer who was at the building when the incident happened said that at least 20 shots were heard.<\/p>\n
The members of the gang are accused of murder, banditry and other crimes, the Investigative Committee said. One of them had fought for so-called Islamic State in Syria before returning to Russia, Russian television reported.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"