Over 15 killed in suspected terror attacks on Russian synagogues, church, police post
More than 15 cops and several civilians, including a priest, were killed when gunmen attacked two synagogues, an Orthodox church and a police post in a suspected coordinated terror attack in Russia.
Russian officials said the assaults against the church and one of the synagogues occurred in the coastal city of Derbent, with both catching fire, according to state media. Another synagogue and the traffic police post were hit in Makhachkala, the largest city in the same Dagestan region, according to Russian authorities.
Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee said five gunmen were “eliminated” while the head of Dagestan Republic, Sergei Melikov, announced six “bandits” were “liquidated.”
It was not immediately clear which number was accurate. It’s also not yet known how many militants were involved in the attack.
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation confirmed that a terrorism investigation has been opened over the attacks.
“All the circumstances of the incident and the persons involved in the terrorist attacks are being established, and their actions will be given a legal assessment,” the federation said in a statement.
Melikov vowed the probe wouldn’t stop until “all sleeping cells” of the militants were found as he urged residents to stay calm.
“Panic and fear are what they were counting on,” he said, per CNN. “They won’t get this from Dagestanis!”
Shamil Khadulaev, chairman of the Public Monitoring Commission of Dagestan, identified one of the victims at the Orthodox church as 66-year-old priest Nikolay Kotelnikov.
“According to the information I received, Father Nikolay was killed in the church in Derbent, they slit his throat,” Khadulaev said. “He was 66 years old and very ill.”
Khadulaev said a church security guard who was armed with a pistol also was shot, with the remaining priests at the church locking themselves in a safe area until police arrived.
The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed that two synagogues were targeted in “a combined attack,” with the temple in Derbent set ablaze.
“The synagogue in Derbent was set on fire and burned to the ground. Local guards were killed,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The synagogue in Makhachkala was attacked by gunfire, there are no further details,” the agency added.
Officials said that fortunately, there was no one inside the temples at the time of the attack, and there are currently no known casualties from the Jewish community.
Initial reports said at least one officer was shot and killed when the fire began in Derbent, a town hailed as a UNESCO heritage site.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were declared days of mourning in the area.
There have been no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks, but they come during fears of a second ISIS-K assault in Russia after the Crocus CIty concert hall shooting in March that left more than 140 people dead.
The Anti-Terrorist Committee said the attacks took place in the mostly Muslim region with a history of armed terrorist attacks.
One Dagestani official was detained because of his sons’ involvement in the attacks, Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing law enforcement sources.
But some Russian officials have tried to place the blame on Ukraine and NATO.
“There is no doubt that these terrorist attacks are in one way or another connected with the intelligence services of Ukraine and NATO countries,” Dagestan lawmaker Abdulkhakim Gadzhiyev wrote on Telegram.
With Post wires
