More than fifteen people have been killed and 25 injured in what appears to be coordinated attacks by assailants across two cities in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Sunday evening.
Several reports indicate attacks in churches, synagogues and a police traffic stop in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala, which are about 120km (75 miles) apart.
THE DEADLY INVASION
At a church in Makhachkala, 19 people locked themselves in for safety during a shootout that ended with at least one attacker being killed, TASS reported citing the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Dagestan.
Also, a synagogue in Derbent was set on fire with photos showing large flames and plumes of smoke billowing heavily out of a series of windows on at least one floor of the structure.
The Israeli foreign ministry described what it said was ‘a combined attack’ on the two synagogues.
VICTIMS
7 law enforcement officers, a priest and a church security guard are dead, according to local authorities.
Four ‘militants’ have also been killed, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
The dead included a 66-year-old Orthodox priest and over 15 police officers in what appeared to be a coordinated attack at a synagogue, church and police post.
‘Father Nikolay was killed in the church in Derbent, they slit his throat. He was 66 years old and very ill,’ Dagestan Public Monitoring Commission Chairman Shamil Khadulaev said.
A security guard at the church armed with only a pistol was also shot.
