GROZNY, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - An attempt on the lives of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov and a federal parliament member has been prevented in Grozny, the Russian southern republic's deputy interior minister said on Friday.

Roman Edilov said police shot the driver of a car that was speeding toward a construction site where State Duma member Adam Delimkhanov was conducting an inspection and President Ramzan Kadyrov was expected to appear shortly.

He said the car carried a container, prompting police to suggest it might be an explosive device. Police fired warning shots and killed the driver, who had ignored them.

Police found a 200-liter tanker believed to be filled with explosives. Bomb disposal experts are working at the scene. Later reports said the driver was identified as a militant leader.

Chechnya, which saw two separatist wars in the late 1990s and early 2000s, has been swept by a fresh wave of violence recently. Shootouts and attacks on troops, police and other officials have been reported daily. The neighboring, mainly Muslim, regions of Russia have also been plagued by instability.

Kadyrov, a former separatist who fought against Russia in the First Chechen War, has pledged to end militancy in Chechnya and occasionally leads police operations. His father, the previous leader of Chechnya, Akhmad Kadyrov, was assassinated in May 2004.