Three days of mourning have been declared in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan following an attack by gunmen on a church, synagogue and police post that killed dozens.
The death toll from the attacks in the restive Russian region has risen to 19 people, Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Monday. At least 15 police officers died alongside several civilians, including an Orthodox priest. Five attackers were also reported to have been “liquidated”.
At least 12 people were also injured in the attacks, which took place in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on Sunday, the festival of Pentecost for the Russian Orthodox Church.
Videos posted on social media and shown on Russian TV showed the skies of Derbent, which is home to an ancient Jewish community in the mainly Muslim region, filled with smoke and flames after the synagogue was set on fire.
Places of worship were also attacked in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan and its largest city, approximately 125km (78 miles) away, where the police post also came under attack.
The Investigative Committee said it had opened criminal investigations over “acts of terror” in Dagestan, which neighbours Chechnya and is one of the poorest areas of Russia.
“This evening in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala armed attacks were carried out on two Orthodox churches, a synagogue and a police checkpoint,” the National Antiterrorism Committee said in a statement to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
“As a result of the terrorist attacks, according to preliminary information, a priest from the Russian Orthodox Church and police officers were killed.”
The Russian Orthodox Church said its archpriest Nikolai Kotelnikov had been “brutally killed” in Derbent.
