Russia detains governor, accuses him of murdering entrepreneurs

MOSCOW, July 9 (Reuters) - Russian security forces detained the governor of a far eastern region on Thursday and accused him of orchestrating the murder of a string of entrepreneurs in 2004-2005.

Several masked agents in camouflage pulled Sergei Furgal, the governor of Khabarovsk region, out of his vehicle before putting him in a van, footage published by the Investigative Committee showed.

That agency, which handles investigations into serious crimes, said four members of an organised crime group had earlier been detained as part of the same case. Furgal would shortly be charged, it said in a statement.

Furgal, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party known as the LDPR, became a governor in 2018 after defeating a rival from the ruling United Russia party which backs President Vladimir Putin.

The LDPR is also supportive of Putin.

Investigators also accused Furgal of attempted murder. If found guilty of all the charges, he could be jailed for life. His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment. (Reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Andrew Osborn)