Russian politician Rauf Arashukov arrested in parliament on suspicion of ordering two murders

A Russian politician has been arrested inside the country’s parliament on suspicion of ordering two murders.

Rauf Arashukov, 32, is suspected to have orchestrated the killings of two high-profile people in the Karachaevo-Cherkessia region, which he represents, in 2010.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, its top federal investigations unit, said Mr Arashukov was detained after the upper chamber of parliament voted to revoke his immunity from prosecution.

He was arrested and escorted from the building on Wednesday, reports said.

Mr Arashukov, the son of a prominent businessman, was nominated by the local legislature and sent to the Federation Council in 2016 to become the youngest council member at the age of 31.

Russian news website RBC quoted investigation sources last year as having said that three people testified against Mr Arashukov and accused him of orchestrating the murder of a prominent local activist.

The US government-funded Radio Free Europe reported that the session of parliament during which Mr Arashukov was detained was closed to reporters and that Federal Guards Service officers had blocked entry to the chamber.

Mr Arashukov was stopped before he could leave the room where deputies were discussing the motion to strip him of immunity.

“He tried to get up and leave the session, and I told him to sit down because he was supposed to speak and give an explanation, and he went back,” Federation Council speaker Valentina Matvienko said in televised comments.

Another politician, Sergei Kalashnikov, who was present when security officers detained Mr Arashukov, said no one was expecting it to happen.

“That was a complete surprise to everyone including the suspect who was late for the session,” Kalashnikov told the Interfax news agency.

Later on Wednesday, investigators announced that Mr Arashukov’s father, Raul, a senior manager at the gas company Gazprom, had been detained on suspicion of embezzling 30 billion rubles’ (£347m) worth of gas supplies.

They added that they were searching homes and offices in seven towns in connection with various investigations regarding the father and son.

Additional reporting by AP