President of breakaway Abkhazia Sergey Bagapsh said “criminal elements” are behind the assassination attempt of Abkhaz Prime Minister Alexander Ankvab, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

“It seems these [attackers] were criminal elements… who do not want to live in accordance to the law,” Bagapsh told RIA Novosti, adding that certain forces are against those reforms which the new leadership of Abkhazia intends to carry out.

“An emergency meeting of the leadership of law enforcement agencies is underway,” Bagapsh added.

An unknown gunmen opened fire on the convoy of Abkhaz de facto Prime Minister Alexander Ankvab late on February 28, Russian news agencies reported on March 1. No casualties were reported.

The local Abkhaz television reported that at the moment of the attack Prime Minister Ankvab was riding in the car of Vice-Premier Leonid Lakerbaia and not in his own.

Reports also cite Abkhaz Interior Ministry officials as claiming that the PM’s car was hit by 17 bullets.