Moscow deputy mayor ambushed

More than 30 rounds of ammunition were fired through the windscreen of the car

MOSCOW, Russia -- Gunmen have ambushed a car carrying one of Moscow's deputy mayors, injuring two people.

The deputy mayor, Iosif Ordzhonikidze, was not injured in the shooting, which took place on one of Moscow's main highways.

One of his bodyguards was injured, and his condition was not immediately clear.

A 19-year-old student, who was travelling in a minibus near the scene of the shooting, was also injured by gunfire and taken to a hospital.

The car used by the assailants was later found on fire with an unidentified body inside.

Ordzhonikidze oversees some of the city's most profitable business sectors, including casinos, hotels, and construction.

The attackers drove past his car and cut it off underneath a bridge during morning rush hour on Wednesday, a police spokesman said.

A body was found inside the burned-out getaway car

They then fired 30 rounds of ammunition through the windscreen of the car before speeding off, he said.

One of Ordzhonikidze's bodyguards got out of the car and opened fire, a police official said.

Thursday's shooting was the second attempt on Ordzhonikidze's life.

In December 2000, two masked gunmen armed with automatic rifles opened fire on his car near Moscow City Hall, severely injuring him and killing his driver. (Full story)