MOSCOW, February 17 (RIA Novosti) - Three gunmen broke into the home of a British investigative reporter in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo and opened fire, seriously wounding him, British media reported.

The journalist, Faraz Shauketaly, who works for the Sunday Leader newspaper and holds dual British and Sri Lankan nationality, is undergoing treatment in a hospital for neck injuries, the Sky News TV news broadcaster reported Saturday.

The Daily Mail reported Saturday that the journalist is in intensive care.

According to Sunday Leader editor Sakunthala Perera, Shauketaly, 52, was speaking on the phone discussing a story for this week's edition when he was shot, Sky News said.

UN human rights commissioner Navi Pillay described the attack as an “attempted assassination” and urged “a proper investigation” into it, adding that Shauketaly is a journalist “attached to a newspaper… known to be critical of the government.”