Russian authorities say gunmen killed a high-level law enforcement official and three other people in the violence-plagued Dagestan region.

They say the gunmen early Friday opened fire on a car carrying the deputy chief of the federal prison service in Dagestan, Magomed Murtuzaliyev. He was killed along with his daughter, nephew and driver.

The attack occurred outside the city of Makhachkala, one day after three car bombs killed four people and wounded at least 60 others.

There have been no claims of responsibility for the attacks, but Islamist rebels have a history of waging deadly attacks in Dagestan.

The rebels have been fighting for an independent Islamic state in Russia's predominantly Muslim North Caucasus. The battles have continued after two Russian wars against the separatists in Chechnya.

Chechen rebels claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo airport in January that killed nearly 40 people.