- This story is developing, more to come
Two synagogues and an Orthodox church in southern Russia were attacked today by militant gunmen, who killed six police officers and slit the throat of a priest.
The attackers fired at the religious sites and a police station in the tinderbox region of Dagestan, a largely Muslim region in Russia bordering Georgia and Azerbaijan. Authorities have said at least 12 people were injured in the attacks.
A synagogue in the regional capital Makhachkala was set on fire, with smoke pouring from the building, while another synagogue was set on fire in Derbent, Russia’s southernmost city, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Makhachkala.
The attackers, who have still not been identified, attacked the Kele-Numaz Synagogue, the only Jewish place of worship in the city.
Derbent was also where militants attacked a priest and a security guard who both worked at an Orthodox church in the city.
The priest, named locally as 66-year-old Father Nikolai, reportedly had his throat slit by the gunmen.
The attackers fired at religious sites and a police station in Dagestan’s tinderbox region, which borders Chechnya.
Two synagogues and an Orthodox church in southern Russia were attacked today by militant gunmen
So far, two of the attackers involved in the deadly shootings have been killed
It is not known at this time how many people were involved in the shooting, nor is it known who is behind it
Two police officers were killed in the attack, it was reported
Russian authorities said a police officer was killed in a shootout at the synagogue in Derbent, while another was killed in a shootout at a police post in Makhachkala.
So far, two of the attackers involved in the deadly shootings have been killed, the Russian Interior Ministry said.
Many of them managed to flee, with local media reporting that the attackers escaped in a white Volkswagen Polo in Derbent.
It is currently unknown how many people were involved in the shooting, nor is it known who is behind it.
The attacks on Dagestan’s religious sites come just months after a deadly terrorist attack in Moscow killed nearly 145 people.
Islamic State Khorasan Provice (ISIS-K), a particularly ruthless sect of ISIS, massacred innocent concertgoers attending the Russian band Picnic at the Crocus City Hall concert hall in March this year.
After the hall was shot at and set on fire, 145 people died, while 551 people were injured from gunfire or burns.
More to follow.