Dagestan in turmoil: Officials detained after deadly attacks
In the shooting in Dagestan, the sons of the head of the Sergokalinsky district, Magomed Omarov, were reportedly involved. Security forces detained the politician. On Sunday, around a dozen people were killed, and many suffered severe injuries. Videos of the massacre have surfaced online.
Russian independent media reported that Magomed Omarov, the head of the Sergokalinsky district in Dagestan, had been detained. His sons, Omsan and Adil, were likely involved in the attack. Both were reportedly killed. According to the Interfax portal, his nephew was also killed.
Omarov has been the head of the district since 2010. After the massacre, he was said to have written a resignation and was then detained by the authorities.
Russian Information Agency TASS reported that the attackers in Makhachkala and Derbent are supporters of the international terrorist organisation ISIS.
The Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal investigation in connection with the terrorist attacks. The governor of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, called the attacks an "attempt to destabilise the social situation." A member of the State Duma from Dagestan with the pro-Kremlin United Russia party, Abdulkhakim Gadzhiev, stated that the intelligence services of Ukraine and NATO countries are behind the terrorist attack in the republic.
Shooting in Russia. Over 20 people injured, there are dead
Social media quickly circulated pictures from Dagestan. The recordings show the faces of several fighters. In the city of Derbent, unknown individuals reportedly fired at a synagogue and a church. An Orthodox Christian 66-year-old priest, whose throat the attackers reportedly slit, was killed. Both temples were set on fire, and the church was listed as a UNESCO heritage site. Cars and other properties were also set on fire. According to eyewitnesses, the shooting in Derbent lasted almost half an hour. The entire group was moving in a car.
At the same time, a police station in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, was fired upon. This city is 125 kilometres from Derbent. The attackers were dressed in black and wore beards typical of devout Muslims.
In two locations, around a dozen people, including police officers, were killed. In Makhachkala alone, 4 attackers were killed. "Kommersant" reported that videos shown on social media included the arrest of at least two more attackers on a beach in the city.
