- This story is developing, there will be more to follow.
Two synagogues and an Orthodox church in southern Russia were attacked today by armed militants, killing six police officers and beheading a priest.
The attackers fired on religious sites, as well as a police station, in the dusty region of Dagestan, a largely Muslim region of Russia that borders Georgia and Azerbaijan. Authorities have said at least 12 people were injured during the attacks.
A synagogue in the regional capital, Makhachkala, was set on fire and smoke was seen rising from the building, while another was set on fire in Derbent, Russia’s southernmost city, which is located approximately 80 miles south of Makhachkala.
The attackers, who have not yet been identified, attacked the Kele-Numaz synagogue, the only Jewish place of worship in Derbent, where they also attacked a priest and a guard working at an Orthodox church in the city.
The gunmen reportedly slit the throat of the priest, identified locally as Father Nikolai, 66.
The attackers fired on religious sites, as well as a police station, in the dusty region of Dagestan, bordering Chechnya.
Two synagogues and an Orthodox church in southern Russia were attacked by armed militants today.
So far, two of the attackers involved in the deadly shooting have died.
At the moment it is not known how many people were involved in the shootings, nor who is behind them.
Two police officers died in the attack, it was reported
So far, two of the attackers involved in the deadly shootings have died, Russia’s Interior Ministry said.
Many of them managed to flee, and local media reported that the attackers in Derbent, home to an ancient Jewish community and a UNESCO World Heritage site, escaped in a white Volkswagen Polo.
It is currently unknown how many people were involved in the shootings or who is behind them, according to Dagestan Governor Sergei Melikov, who said on Telegram: “Tonight in Derbent and Makhachkala, unknown individuals tried to destabilize the population.” situation. Dagestan police officers stood in their way. According to preliminary information, there are victims among them.’
The motive for the attacks is also unknown.
But Russia’s Investigative Committee has already said it is investigating them as “acts of terrorism.”
The attacks on Dagestan’s religious sites come just months after a deadly terrorist attack in Moscow claimed the lives of nearly 145 people.
The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), a particularly brutal sect of ISIS, massacred innocent concertgoers who came to see the Russian band Picnic at the Crocus City Hall concert venue in March of this year.
After shooting and setting fire to the place, 145 people died and 551 were injured by gunshots or burns.
More to follow.
