A Christian pastor has been murdered in the Russian Republic of Dagestan.

An unidentified gunman killed pastor Artur Suleimanov on the steps of Hosanna Church in July.

A Dagestani newspaper had called for people to "take action" against the church leader because he was converting ethnic Muslims.

Dagestan is located in the northern region of the Caucasus Mountains and the majority of its people follow Islam.

The republic is next door to Chechnya, a hotbed for Islamic radicals who have carried out several terrorist attacks against Russia.

Hosanna Church is the largest Protestant church in Dagestan with 1,000 members.

About 80 percent of them are former Muslims.