Officials say Russian bombing mastermind may have been killed

Russian Cossacks, who started regular patrols within the city in the wake of recent suicide attacks, stand guard in front of the Kazan Orthodox Cathedral in the southern Russian city of Volgograd, January 7, 2014. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

MAKHACHKALA, Russia (Reuters) - Russian security forces said on Wednesday they had killed a militant who may have masterminded suicide bombings that killed 34 people in the southern city of Volgograd in December and raised fears for the security of the Sochi Olympics.

Dzamaltin Mirzayev was killed in a shootout with by law enforcement officers who surrounded a home in the North Caucasus province of Dagestan, a spokesman for regional investigators said.