The deputy head of the republic's Interior Ministry, Roman Edilov, said four militants and two police officers had died during the operation.He also dismissed reports that the militants had taken hostages.

The attack began when a vehicle carrying terrorists drove in with cars carrying lawmakers, a police source told RIA Novosti earlier.

He added that a suicide bomber had blown himself up while the other militants headed toward parliament.

Parliament was evacuated and a special operation, headed by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was launched to flush out the militants.

This is the second serious terrorist incident in Chechnya in recent months. In August, a suicide squad launched a massive attack on Kadyrov's home village of Tsentroi.