MOSCOW — More than 15 police officers and several civilians, including an Orthodox priest, were arrested on Sunday, the governor of the southern Russian republic of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, said in a video statement early Monday. Killed by militants.
According to authorities, gunmen opened fire on two Orthodox churches, a synagogue and a police post in two cities.
Russia’s National Counter-Terrorism Committee described the attack in a predominantly Muslim region with a history of armed fighting as an act of terrorism.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were declared days of mourning in the region.
Dagestan’s interior ministry said a group of armed men opened fire on a synagogue and a church in the Caspian city of Derbent. According to state media reports, churches and synagogues were on fire. At about the same time, there were reports of attacks on a church and a traffic police post in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan.
Authorities announced a counter-terrorism operation in the area. The Counter-Terrorism Committee said the five gunmen had been “neutralized”. The governor said six “bandits” had been “liquidated”. The conflicting figures could not immediately be reconciled, and it was unclear how many militants were involved in the attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Authorities launched a criminal investigation on terrorism charges.
Russian state news agency TASS cited law enforcement sources as saying that a Dagestani official was detained for his son’s involvement in the attack.
