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Dutch Executive at Gazprom Attacked in Car

A Dutch executive with Gazprom was slightly injured after being attacked by a Moscow banker's bodyguards on Rublyovskoye Shosse, news reports said Monday.

The Dutch national, identified by Lifenews.ru as Jorrit Ioole Faassen, 30, was driving his BMW car Sunday night when a Mercedes and a Volkswagen cut him off near the Europark center.

Several people wielding baseball bats got out of the two cars, broke the BMW's windows, beat Faassen and fled toward the city center, Lifenews.ru reported.

Faassen suffered slight injuries, Interfax said.

The suspected attackers, a group of young men, were detained a short time later near Novy Arbat and taken to the Kuntsevo police precinct, Interfax reported, citing the police.

The suspects were armed and believed to work as bodyguards for the head of a small bank, Interfax said, without elaborating.

Lifenews.ru said eight people were detained: Trado-Bank co-owner Matvei Urin and seven bodyguards.

Police also confiscated four bags of naswai, a smokeless tobacco popular in Central Asia; a gas pistol; two regular pistols; and a rifle mold, the report said.

A police spokesman, reached by phone, could not confirm the attack Monday. Repeated calls to Gazprom's press office went unanswered.

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