Shooters kill 20 people and injure 46 in Russia

Gunmen shot at places of religious worship in two cities in the province of Dagestan, Russia, on Sunday (June 23, 2024). The attacks, which appear to be coordinated, targeted churches, synagogues, police and civilians in the cities of Derbent and the regional capital Makhachkala.

The shooters injured 46 people and killed 20, including police officers and civilians, including an Orthodox priest. The head of the Republic of Dagestan Sergey Melikov said that 6 “militants” were killed after the attacks. The information is from CNN.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Russian security agencies said those responsible were “adherents of an international terrorist organization“.

“Operational search and investigative measures will be carried out until all participants in the sleeper cells are identified, which undoubtedly include some that were organized from abroad”, said Melikov. Dagestan declared 3 days of mourning.

In Derbent, the targets were an Orthodox church and a synagogue, which were burned to the ground. According to the RJC (Russian Jewish Congress), Molotov cocktails were used to set fire to the synagogue.

In the city of Makhachkala, a synagogue was attacked by gunfire and local guards were killed. The shooters also attacked a police station.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said it will investigate the cases as “terrorist attacks”.

“All the circumstances of the incident and the people involved in the terrorist attacks are being established, and their actions will be assessed legally”he stated.