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Armed men have launched attacks in the city of Makhachkala and in the coastal city of Derbent in Russia’s Dagestan region, killing seven police officers, a member of the national guard and a priest.
What happened: The attacks took place at a synagogue and a church near the Caspian Sea. The synagogue was set on fire after the attack, according to reports.
Almost at the same time, there were reports of an attack on a police checkpoint in the city of Makhachkala, where six police officers were killed and another 12 people were injured.
The attack has been labelled as an act of terrorism against the densely populated Muslim community of the Dagestan region.
Four attackers were brought down by police, the Dagestan Interior Ministry has confirmed.
No group has taken responsibility for the attacks.
The key quote: “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.
“As a result of the terrorist attacks, according to preliminary information, a priest from the Russian Orthodox Church and police officers were killed.”
What else to know: Dagestan lies east of Chechnya, where Russian authorities battled separatists in two brutal wars, first in 1994-1996 and then in 1999-2000.
Since the defeat of Chechen insurgents, Russian authorities have been locked in a simmering conflict with Islamist militants from across the North Caucasus that has killed scores of civilians and police.
What happens next: Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened criminal probes over “acts of terror” in Dagestan.
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