More than 15 police officers and several civilians have been killed in simultaneous shootings in two Russian cities, local officials say.
Gunmen armed with machine guns, rifles and Molotov cocktails attacked a synagogue, at least one church and a police station in Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region which has suffered a rise in Islamist terror incidents in recent years.
The attacks took place during the Orthodox Christian festival of Pentecost and appeared to be coordinated.
Among the civlians killed was an Orthodox priest named Father Nikolay who had served his church for 40 years, Russian state news reported.
Counter-terror squads ‘eliminated’ at least five gunmen, according to state officials, though others may still be on the run.
None of the attackers have been publicly identified and no groups have yet claimed responsibility, but investigators are treating the case as a terror incident.
The synagogue and church is located in the coastal city of Derbent, while the police station is in the state capital of Makhachkala.
Some attackers were held up in a building in Derbent, which police were preparing to storm, according to Telegram.
The other attackers could be seen fleeing the scene in a car.
Russia’s national anti-terrorist committee last night said counter-terror police are continuing to search for gunmen in both Makhachkala and Derbent.
Derbent is home to a large Jewish community and pictures from the scene show flames and smoke billowing out from the synagogue and church.
The police post attack in Makhachkala is located around 75 miles away from Derbent, where gunshots were heard by eyewitnesses.
The synagogue in Derbent was set on fire as a result of the attack, according to Reuters news agency.
Head of the Republic of Dagestan Sergei Melikov said: ‘Tonight in Derbent and Makhachkala unknown people made attempts to destablise the public situation.
‘Dagestan police officers stood in their way. According to preliminary information, there are casualties among them. All services are acting in accordance with the instruction … The identities of the attackers are being established.’
Dagestan has previously seen separatist violence in the 1990s and 2000s and is home to a largely Muslim population.
But attacks like these in the area have been rare since and will have shocked the local community.
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