Report: Authorities foil plot to kill Putin

Associated Press

MOSCOW

Security forces have foiled a Chechen-linked plot to assassinate Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, state television said Monday in a report likely to boost support for the Russian leader in a presidential election less than a week away.

Other candidates questioned the timing of the report, which comes as Putin and his party face unprecedented protests after a scandal-marred parliamentary election.

The report, which included televised confessions, said the suspects were arrested in Ukraine and linked to a Chechen rebel leader who has claimed responsibility for terror attacks in Russia.