Gunmen target religious sites, police in deadly Dagestan attacks

The Russian agency Ria Novosti reports that attackers fired automatic weapons at a synagogue and an Orthodox church in Derbent, Dagestan. They also shot at police officers, resulting in one death and another officer injured.

"According to information from the press office of the Dagestan Ministry of Internal Affairs, around 10 PM Eastern Time in Derbent, unknown individuals fired automatic weapons at the synagogue and the Orthodox church," said the head of the press service of the Dagestan Ministry of Internal Affairs, Gayana Gareyeva.

Additionally, the attack resulted in a fire in the temple. Russian media reports that one police officer is dead and another is injured. The suspects managed to escape in a white Volkswagen Polo.

Media report that almost simultaneously, there was a second attack in Makhachkala. There, the attackers reportedly opened fire on a police station. According to Russian authorities, one police officer was killed, and six were injured.