June 23. () –
At least six police officers have been killed and twelve more people have been injured in two coordinated terrorist attacks carried out this Sunday in the Russian republic of Dagestan, in the Caucasus. In addition, the death of two of the attackers and a priest has been confirmed.
The attackers have attacked churches, synagogues and traffic police posts in the regional capital, Makhachkala, and in the city of Derbent, as confirmed by the authorities and reported by the Russian news agency TASS.
The General Directorate of the Russian Interior Ministry for Dagestan has confirmed the number of victims. “So far, according to the information available, six police officers have died and twelve more have been injured. Several militiamen have been detained,” the agency indicated.
Previously, local authorities had reported that around 6:00 p.m. in the city of Derbent, south of Makhachkala, unidentified individuals murdered a priest, slit his throat, and set fire to the church and a nearby synagogue.
The attack occurred on Lenin Street, in the Orthodox Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the assailants beheaded a 66-year-old priest, Father Nikolai Kotelnikov. The attackers then moved to a nearby synagogue, which was also set on fire.
The Jewish building has been practically destroyed, according to local media, while the Christian temple has also suffered a smaller fire. The attackers fled in a white Volkswagen Polo car with license plate 921, according to Russian media, which also report at least two armed attackers killed.
On the other hand, in the regional capital, Makhachkala, a police officer has died and six more people have been injured in a firearms attack against a traffic police post, as reported by the Dagestan Interior Department on its channel. official on Telegram.
The incident occurred in the city center, on Ermoshkina Street, where there is also a synagogue nearby. The authorities have activated a cage operation to try to locate those responsible.
The president of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, has denounced an “attempt to destabilize society” and has asked the population for calm, while images of the alleged attackers are already circulating on social networks in videos whose authenticity has not been verified. At least one of them has a callus on his forehead usually linked to Muslim prayer.
On the night of October 29 to 30 of last year, a mob attempted to attack travelers on a flight from Tel Aviv in retaliation for the Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip. The attackers stormed the airport runway and more than 200 were arrested.
Up to 20 people were injured, including nine police officers. None of them were Israeli citizens, as confirmed at the time by the Israeli ambassador to Russia, Alexander Ben Zvi.
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