Videos of unidentified gunmen attacking a synagogue and two churches on Sunday, killing at least one priest and six police officers in Russia’s Caucasus region in Dagestanbegan to circulate this Sunday on social networks.
At around 6:00 p.m. in the city of Derbent, south of Makhachkala, unidentified individuals murdered a priest, beheaded him, and set fire to the church and a nearby synagogue. A police officer has died and another has been injured, reports Russian public television RBC. The Russian National Anti-Terrorist Committee has confirmed the death of the religious.
Images circulating show police responding to the attack and shooting down some of the suspects, in addition to the synagogue being set on fire.
Thirteen people were injured in the attacks, as reported by the Ministry of the Interior according to Russian news agencies.
Reports said an officer and a priest were killed when shots were fired at a synagogue and church in Derbent, home to an ancient Jewish community in the South Caucasus and UNESCO world heritage site.
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.
The synagogue was on fire after the attack, Russian news agencies said. Subsequently The attackers fled in a vehicle.
On the other hand, in the regional capital, Makhachkalaa police officer has been killed and six more people have been injured in a gun attack against a traffic police post, as reported by the Dagestan Interior Department on its official Telegram channel.
The incident occurred in the city center, on the street Ermoshkina, 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.
(With information from AFP and Europa Press)
