A suicide attack on a police station in the Russian region of Ingushetia killed two policemen and injured another, according to local officials quoted by Russian news agencies.

The bomber blew himself up Monday morning as he entered the police headquarters in Karabulak, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the regional capital of Magas.

"The terrorist was appartently trying to enter the territory of the police station and trigger an explosion during the morning gathering, which would have led to many deaths," said an unnamed regional interior ministry spokesman quoted by the ITAR-TASS news agency.

Russia's investigative committee reported that the injured and dead policemen were in a car that was entering the compound.

A second blast at the same site, occurred less than an hour later as a man blew up a vehicle outside the police headquarters. The Associated Press reported that a worker from the local prosecutor's office was wounded.

The attacks follow several others in Moscow and Dagestan that have killed more than 50 people in the last week.

Ingushetia is a predominately Muslim region that has recently been dealing with an Islamist insurgency.

svs/dpa/Reuters/AFP/AP
Editor: Chuck Penfold