Gunmen attack in Russia's Dagestan region, killing six police officers

Armed men carried out coordinated attacks on a synagogue, an Orthodox church, and a police post

MOSCOW:

Gunmen opened fire at a synagogue, an Orthodox church, and a police post in Russia's North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Sunday, killing six policemen and injuring 12, the region's interior ministry was quoted as saying.

The ministry, quoted by Russian news agencies, said two gunmen had been shot dead as the incidents unfolded. An Orthodox priest was also reported to have been killed.

The agencies reported that street fights were gripping Makhachkala, the chief administrative town in Dagestan, a mainly Muslim region on the Caspian Sea.

An unofficial channel on the Telegram messaging app, Mash, said police were preparing to storm a building where gunmen were holed up in Derbent, about 125 kilometres further south.

The gunmen attacked a synagogue and a church in Derbent, home to an ancient Jewish community and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Interior Ministry was quoted as saying that both the synagogue and church were ablaze.