(Newser)
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The third time was not the charm for Aslan Usoyan, a prominent Russian mob boss who was assassinated today after surviving two previous hits. Officials say "Grandpa Hassan" was killed by a single bullet fired by a sniper as he was leaving a Moscow restaurant. The 75-year-old last survived a 2010 attempt on his life in which he was shot in the abdomen, and a police source says the group that injured him then is believed to be the same one that succeeded in killing him today, reports RT.
Usoyan was suspected to be at the helm of criminal organizations that stole natural resources, trafficked drugs and weapons, and was mired in illegal gambling. MSN NZ calls him "the most influential criminal in the former Soviet Union," and reports that a Russian tabloid referred to him as the "king of the Russian mafia." A female passerby was injured by the sniper.
