![According to updated information, four police officers and a civilian were injured in the blast which occurred at about 04.40 Moscow time [00.40 GMT] in the outskirts of Makhachkala. - Sputnik International](https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/15569/13/155691372_0:0:0:0_600x0_80_0_0_e84a096f76303e3f9b6f0b713c4d369b.jpg "According to updated information, four police officers and a civilian were injured in the blast which occurred at about 04.40 Moscow time [00.40 GMT] in the outskirts of Makhachkala.")
MAKHACHKALA, September 1 (RIA Novosti) - A car bomb which exploded early on Tuesday in the capital of Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan could have been set off by a suicide bomber, the republic's Interior Ministry said.
According to updated information, four police officers and a civilian were injured in the blast which occurred at about 04.40 Moscow time [00.40 GMT] in the outskirts of Makhachkala.
"Four policemen and a civilian were brought to a hospital with various injuries. Preliminary data indicates that the bomb was placed in a Lada passenger car and could have been set off by a suicide bomber," the ministry's official told RIA Novosti.
An investigation is underway, the source said.
Dagestan's Interior Minister Ali Magomedov later said police prevented a major terrorist attack because the suspected suicide bomber planned to set off the explosive device in a public place in the capital's downtown.
Russia's North Caucasus regions have seen a rise in violence in recent months. Attacks on police, officials and troops, and special operations against militants have been reported almost daily in Dagestan, Chechnya, and Ingushetia.
In June, Dagestan's interior minister was assassinated at a wedding reception.
