Russian Orthodox priest killed in Moscow

MOSCOW. November 20. KAZINFORM An unidentified gunman killed a well-known Russian Orthodox priest and wounded another clergyman in a church in southern Moscow, Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

According to investigators, the killer, who was wearing a face mask, entered the St. Thomas the Apostle church on Thursday night and opened fire with a 9-mm automatic pistol, deliberately targeting its rector, Daniil Sysoyev. The priest died in a hospital after sustaining head and chest wounds.

Sysoyev, 35, was well-known for his missionary activities and the fight against sectarianism and occultism.

Investigators suspect that the murder was premeditated and had religious motives because Sysoyev had received death threats on several occasions in the past, Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.