Moscow suburban city hall attacked amid protests

Moscow regional police say nearly one hundred men have attacked the city hall of a Moscow suburb, protesting plans to cut down the local forest.

The forest in the town of Khimki has been the focus of controversy for years over plans to clear much of it for highway construction. A local journalist who reported on the issue was beaten in 2008 and left crippled and brain-damaged.

Khimki police said about 90 unidentified men attacked the building Wednesday night with fireworks and spray-painted "Save Russian forests" on the facade.

He said police arrived on the scene minutes after the group left.

Police detained nine environmental activists who have lived in the forest hoping to stop the clearing. The activists deny involvement in the attack.