Moscow: Russian mafia boss killed in sniper attack

MOSCOW A man who was considered one of the biggest mafia bosses in Russia, Aslan Usoyan, was killed on Wednesday in central Moscow. Usoyan was targeted as he was leaving a restaurant. Moscow: Russian mafia boss killed in sniper attack The 75-year-old, known also as "Grandpa Hassan", died in the hospital after being shot from a sniper rifle. The killer fired a total of six bullets from a window in a nearby house. Russian media reported that his bodyguard "failed to protect him in time". "He was wounded and taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries," said an official at the Interior Ministry. A woman was also wounded in the leg, according to AFP. Usoyan survived an assassination attempt in September 2010 in Moscow, when was shot in the stomach. He avoided another attempt on his life in Sochi in 1998. He was a close associate of Russian mafia boss Vyacheslav Ivankov, who was killed in 2009. Usoyan was an ethnic Kurd born in 1937 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Russian media noted that his criminal career began in Georgia, where he found himself behind bars for the first time when he was 19. It is suspected that he controlled the largest number of criminal groups involved in drug and arms trafficking and illegal gambling in Russia and neighboring countries. Aslan Usoyan (Russia Today, image made from video) B92 Tanjug RT

Moscow: Russian mafia boss killed in sniper attack

The 75-year-old, known also as "Grandpa Hassan", died in the hospital after being shot from a sniper rifle.

The killer fired a total of six bullets from a window in a nearby house. Russian media reported that his bodyguard "failed to protect him in time".

"He was wounded and taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries," said an official at the Interior Ministry. A woman was also wounded in the leg, according to AFP.

Usoyan survived an assassination attempt in September 2010 in Moscow, when was shot in the stomach. He avoided another attempt on his life in Sochi in 1998.

He was a close associate of Russian mafia boss Vyacheslav Ivankov, who was killed in 2009.

Usoyan was an ethnic Kurd born in 1937 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Russian media noted that his criminal career began in Georgia, where he found himself behind bars for the first time when he was 19.

It is suspected that he controlled the largest number of criminal groups involved in drug and arms trafficking and illegal gambling in Russia and neighboring countries.