Former MMA Fighter and Relatives of Official Involved in Deadly Attacks in Russia’s Dagestan
Authorities in Russia’s Dagestan region have identified individuals with notable backgrounds, including a former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and relatives of a regional official, among the assailants involved in Sunday’s attacks on places of worship which claimed at least 20 lives.
Five attackers responsible for the violence in Derbent and Makhachkala have been identified. The gunmen targeted multiple places of worship and engaged in a confrontation at a police traffic stop in these cities within the Muslim-majority republic. The attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 15 police officers and four civilians, including an Orthodox priest.
Some of the attackers hailed from the Sergokalinsky district, situated between Derbent and Makhachkala, and were linked to the district’s head. Former MMA fighter Gadzhimurad Kagirov, identified as a cousin of district head Magomed Omarov, was among those involved in the violence in Derbent. Additionally, relatives of Omarov, including his son and nephew, were reported to have participated in the attacks.
Sergei Melikov, head of Dagestan, addressed the media on Monday, confirming Omarov’s removal from his post and expulsion from the United Russia party, one of Russia’s prominent political entities. While Melikov refrained from specifying the exact involvement of Omarov’s relatives in the assaults, he emphasized that investigative authorities would determine their culpability. He stressed that if Omarov’s direct involvement is substantiated, appropriate legal consequences would follow.
Melikov further underscored that regardless of direct participation, Omarov bears responsibility as a parent for his children’s actions, questioning why potential warning signs were overlooked given his position and responsibilities within the municipality and political party.
The death toll in the attacks by gunmen on synagogue and church in Russia’s Dagestan has risen to 20. Following this, three days of mourning was declared in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan. At least 15 police officers died alongside several civilians, including an Orthodox priest. Five attackers were also reported to have been ‘liquidated’. At least 12 people were also injured in the attacks.
The Russian Orthodox Church said its archpriest Nikolai Kotelnikov was also ‘brutally killed’ in Derbent. The gunmen attacked church, synagogue, and police post in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on Sunday, the festival of Pentecost for the Russian Orthodox Church. Videos posted on social media and shown on Russian TV showed the skies of Derbent, which is home to an ancient Jewish community in the mainly Muslim region, filled with smoke and flames after the synagogue was set on fire.
The Investigative Committee said it had opened criminal investigations over ‘acts of terror’ in Dagestan, which neighbors Chechnya and is one of the poorest areas of Russia in the country. Dagestan’s authorities announced on Monday the start of three days of mourning.