Attack on Fedor's daughter meant to spark 'public outcry,' says Chechen leader

Chechen head of state Ramzan Kadyrov has denounced an assault on the daughter of Russia's most revered mixed martial artist, calling the attack a ploy to incite ethnic unrest and public outcry.

Fedor Emelianenko's 16-year-old daughter was attacked Tuesday by an unknown assailant on her way home from school in Moscow. Kadyrov issued a statement Friday calling for those responsible to be punished to the full extent of the law, as translated by Bloody Elbow's Karim Zidan.

Kadyrov said the "outrageous" attack was intended to provoke "ethnic hate," as relations between Chechnya and Russia have been acrimonious, to say the least, for a number of years.

Emelianenko's daughter, initially described as the child of a "famous heavyweight," was hospitalized following Tuesday's assault. This came days after the legendary fighter condemned a mixed martial arts event in which Kadyrov's three underage sons - aged 8, 9, and 11 - competed without any protective gear whatsoever. The Russian was briefly vilified by the Chechen's followers for his comments, since removed from his social media accounts, though no connection between Emelianenko's outrage and the attack on his daughter has been established.

The attacker has reportedly been partially identified thanks to surveillance tapes and Emelianenko's daughter's testimony.