Scene of the incident where gunmen opened fire on Church, police post, killing many, injured others on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Credit: Reuters/NBC.
Many people, including police officers, killed, several other injured as gunmen opened fire on Synagogue Church and police post.
According to a report by Reuters/NBC News on Sunday, Gunmen opened fire at a synagogue, two Orthodox churches and a police post in two cities in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Sunday, killing six policemen and injuring 12, according to Russian state media TASS, which cited the region’s Minister of Internal Affairs.
The places of worship and traffic police post that were targeted are located in Derbent and Makhachkala, per TASS. The first gunshots were reported around 7 p.m. Moscow time.
The ministry, quoted by Russian news agencies, said four gunmen had been shot dead as the incidents unfolded. An Orthodox priest in Derbent and a church security guard in Makhachkala were also reported to have been killed, Shamil Khadulaev, chairman of the Public Monitoring Commission of Dagestan, told TASS.
The agencies reported that street fights were gripping Makhachkala, the chief administrative town in Dagestan, a mainly Muslim region on the Caspian Sea.
NBC News has not independently verified Russia’s state media reporting.
An unofficial channel on the Telegram messaging app, Mash, said police were preparing to storm a building where gunmen were holed up in Derbent, about 75 miles further south. Authorities are also looking for a white Volkswagen that suspects used to flee, per state media.
The synagogue and a church in Derbent are home to an ancient Jewish community and a UNESCO World Heritage site, respectively. The Interior Ministry was quoted as saying that both the synagogue and church were ablaze.
The head of Dagestan’s regional government vowed stiff punishment for “whichever forces lies behind these disgusting actions”.
In Israel, the Foreign Ministry said the synagogue in Derbent had been burned to the ground and shots had been fired at a second synagogue in Makhachkala. The statement said it was believed there were no worshippers in the synagogue at the time.
Russian authorities have pointed to militant Muslim elements in previous incidents in the region.
Last October, after the war in Gaza broke out, rioters waving Palestinian flags broke down glass doors and rampaged through Makhachkala airport to look for Jewish passengers on a flight arriving from Tel Aviv.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West and Ukraine of stirring up unrest inside Russia in connection with the incident.
Source: Reuters/NBC News.
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