Thick smoke rose from a synagogue on fire following a series of attacks in the southern Russian region of Dagestan on Sunday. News agency Reuters was able to confirm the location from the building configuration, colour and roof which match street and satellite imagery. The date was verified by local reports and corroborating videos from the same area. At least 15 people including police officers were killed and 12 injured when gunmen opened fire, Russian news agencies quoted the local Interior Ministry as saying. The Interior Ministry was also quoted as saying a synagogue and an Orthodox church, both targets of the attacks, had been set ablaze.
VIDEO: Eyewitness video shows shooting on street in Russia's Makhachkala
VIDEO: Smoke rises from synagogue on fire after deadly Dagestan attacks
Dagestan official detained over his sons' involvement in Russia terror attacks
Russian state news agency TASS cited law enforcement sources as saying that a Dagestani official was detained over his sons' involvement in the attacks. Melikov said in the video statement that the situation in the region was under the control of law enforcement and local authorities, and vowed that the investigation of the attacks will continue until “all the sleeping cells” of the militants are uncovered.
He claimed, without providing evidence, that the attacks might have been prepared from abroad, and referenced what the Kremlin calls “the special military operation” in Ukraine in an apparent attempt to link the attacks to it. In March, gunmen opened fire on a crowd at a concert hall in suburban Moscow, killing 145 people. An affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Russian officials also sought to link Ukraine to the attack without providing any evidence. Kyiv has vehemently denied any involvement.
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