Priest and six law enforcement officers killed in attacks on synagogues and church in Russia’s Dagestan

CBS News

Priest, at least 6 police officers killed after gunmen attack synagogue and church in Russia, reports say

At least 19 people are dead in Dagestan, Russia, including 15 police officers and four civilians, after gunmen attacked police stations, churches, and a synagogue with rifles and Molotov cocktails Sunday evening. The five gunmen were eventually killed as well.

The New York Times

Those killed in the attack, which occurred on the Orthodox Christian festival of Pentecost, included Orthodox priest Father Nikolai Kotelnikov. The assailants targeted the cities of Makhachkala and Derbent, the latter of which is an ancient Jewish city.

BBC News

According to the chairman of Russia's Federation of Jewish Communities, synagogues in both cities were set ablaze. Dagestan's governor said the perpetrators were part of "an international terrorist organization," but didn't specify further.

Al Jazeera

Russia’s antiterrorism committee also posted footage apparently showing cars set on fire, guns lying in pools of blood, and police chasing the attackers inside an Orthodox church.

Officials from Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Abkhazia, China, Iran, and Israel expressed their condemnation of the attacks and sympathy for Russia.

Russia: Terror Attacks on Churches, Synagogues in Dagestan Kill 19

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Russia: Terror Attacks on Churches, Synagogues in Dagestan Kill 19

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