Terrorist Attacks in Dagestan: Six Police Officers Among the Dead

At least three people were killed and 16 others were injured during attacks by unknown assailants against two Orthodox churches, a synagogue, and a transit point in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala, in the Dagestan region of Russia. The regional department of the Ministry of the Interior reported that the incidents occurred around 6:00 p.m. local time.

In Derbent, unknown individuals shot at a synagogue and a church with automatic weapons. This attack resulted in the death of a police officer and the injury of another. Additionally, the Orthodox Church priest succumbed to his injuries. The attackers fled in a white VW Polo car.

In Makhachkala, about 110 kilometers north of Derbent, another attack targeted a church and a traffic checkpoint. This incident led to the deaths of a police officer and a temple guard, with six other policemen wounded. Law enforcement officers exchanged gunfire with the extremists, resulting in the death of two attackers and the arrest of two others.

The National Anti-Terrorism Committee declared an alert to ensure security and arrest those involved. The investigative directorate of the Investigative Committee in Dagestan has initiated criminal cases for terrorist attacks in relation to these incidents.

Images of the Derbent synagogue engulfed in fire and dense columns of smoke were broadcast on Russian public television. The leader of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, condemned the attacks as attempts to destabilize the region and urged the population to remain calm.

The attacks coincided with the Russian Orthodox celebration of Pentecost. The previous attack on a church in Dagestan occurred last February during the Russian festival of Maslenitsa, resulting in four deaths. The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for that attack without presenting evidence.