Gunmen kill at least six police officers and a priest in attacks in Russia’s Dagestan

Gunmen opened fire in two cities in Russia’s north Caucasus region of Dagestan, targeting a synagogue, two Orthodox churches and a police post and killing at least six police officers and a priest, officials said.

In the city of Derbent, gunmen attacked a synagogue, home to a Jewish community in the predominantly Muslim region. Russia’s state media Tass said the attackers also shot at two nearby Orthodox churches, killing a police officer and a priest.

Footage published on social media from Derbent showed a group of gunmen engaged in heavy fire with police.

Officials said the Derbent synagogue was set on fire and a clip from the scene appeared to show flames coming out of the building, which is listed as a Unesco heritage site.

In a separate shooting occurring simultaneously, a group opened fire on police in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, located about 75 miles north along the Caspian Sea coast. According to local authorities, at least one police officer was killed and six others injured.

A clip posted by Russian media from Makhachkala showed scenes of gunfire and a burned police vehicle.

The Russian interior ministry said in a statement that six police officers had been killed in the two shootings and 12 injured.

Officials in Dagestan appeared to confirm the shootings were linked.

“Tonight in Derbent and Makhachkala, unknown individuals attempted to destabilise the public situation. Dagestan police officers stood in their way. According to preliminary information, there are casualties among them,” Dagestan’s governor, Sergei Melikov, said on Telegram.

Russia’s investigative committee classified the shooting as a terrorist attack.

The motive of the shooters was not immediately clear. Five of the shooters were killed by police, Russia’s news agencies reported on Monday, citing the National Anti-Terrorism Committee.

Russia has experienced a series of Islamist terrorist attacks recently, prompting questions about whether its extensive security agencies have been distracted by the invasion of Ukraine and the internal crackdown on anti-war dissent.

In March, the Afghan branch of Islamic State, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province, claimed responsibility for the mass shooting at a Moscow concert hall, the deadliest terror attack in years, which left 139 people dead.

Last week, Russian special forces freed two guards and killed six men linked to IS who had taken them hostage at a detention centre in the southern city of Rostov.

Dagestan has also experienced a series of antisemitic incidents. Most notably, last year a mob stormed the airport in Makhachkala, searching for Jewish passengers arriving from Israel. - Guardian