OAN’s Abril Elfi
3:50 PM – Sunday, June 23, 2024
At least nine people have died and 25 others have been injured in coordinated attacks in Russia.
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According to the region’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, at least nine people, including seven law enforcement officers, were killed in what appeared to be a coordinated attack on Sunday in the Dagestan region of southern Russia when gunmen opened fire on an Orthodox church and a synagogue located miles apart.
Among the dead are seven law enforcement officers, a priest, and a church security guard. Four “militants” have also been killed, according to the Russian news agency TASS.
“According to the information I received, 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.
He added that a church security guard, who was carrying just a handgun, was shot.
The head of the “Dagestan Lights” police department, Mavludin Khidirnabiev, was among the law enforcement officials slain, as per the telegram from the Dagestan Ministry of Internal Affairs.
19 people sought refuge inside a church in Makhachkala during a gunfight that resulted in the death of at least one attacker, according to TASS, which cited the Dagestan Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Pictures from a synagogue in Derbent show massive flames and thick plumes of smoke shooting out of several windows on at least one floor of the building.
Additionally, there have been reports of attacks at a police traffic post and a synagogue in Makhachkala.
The two synagogues were the target of “a combined attack,” according to the Israeli foreign ministry.
“The synagogue in Derbent was set on fire and burned to the ground. Local guards were killed. The synagogue in Makhachkala was attacked by gunfire; there are no further details,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “As far as is known, there were no worshipers in the synagogues at the time of the attack, and there are no known casualties from the Jewish community,” according to the statement.
The head of the Dagestan Republic, Sergey Melikov, has issued a message on Telegram saying that “unknown persons made attempts to destabilize the social situation. Dagestan police officers stood in their way. According to preliminary information, there are victims among them.”
According to Melikov, plans are in motion for a counteroperation called “interception,” an operational headquarters has been established, and the attackers’ identities are being determined.
He urged the public to remain calm, saying “Panic and fear are what they were counting on in … They won’t get this from Dagestanis!”
The Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Republic of Dagestan announced that it had opened a terror investigation into the attacks.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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