Shot: the militants who attacked Makhachkala and Derbent had been planning terrorist attacks since mid-May
The terrorists who attacked Makhachkala and Derbent had been planning terrorist attacks for about a month—from mid-May. According to Shot, on the day of the attacks they coordinated their actions in a closed chat.
The main target of the militants turned out to be the rector of the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Derbent, Nikolai Kotelnikov. His photo was pinned in their chat.
The rector of the Derbent temple was threatened
An acquaintance of the clergyman who was killed by the terrorists said that Father Nikolai had previously been systematically threatened. According to religious scholar Roman Silantiev, the clergyman who became a victim of terrorists served in a rather difficult place.
“Derbent is an ancient and beautiful city, but from the point of view of the Wahhabis there are problems,” Silantiev said, recalling the terrorist attack that occurred in the Kizlyar temple ten years ago.
“Of course, Father Nikolai was repeatedly threatened,” the religious scholar pointed out. In addition, it turned out that Father Nikolai was seriously ill.
It is known that Kotelnikov did not survive the shot that occurred in front of his wife when he was trying to block the terrorists’ path to the church. The priest served at the altar for about 40 years; he became the prototype of one of the heroes of the famous local monument.
Three terrorists, who turned out to be relatives of a Dagestan official, were Wahhabis
Among the attackers were three relatives of the head of the Sergokalinsky district, Magomed Omarov, who had previously served as a police officer. After reports emerged that his relatives were being detained, the official resigned. According to media reports, another of the Dagestani terrorists turned out to be an MMA fighter who previously represented Khabib Nurmagomedov’s club.
Omarov Sr., during interrogation, told the security forces that he knew about his sons’ commitment to radical ideas. He explained that some of his eight offspring had been Wahhabis for several years. His nephew was also inclined towards radicalism. Relatives did not support the young people’s views. The official denies his affiliation with Wahhabism and claims that he did not communicate with his sons.
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On the evening of June 23, armed criminals carried out attacks in two cities of Dagestan. In Derbent, they attacked an Orthodox church, where a service was being held in honor of the Holy Trinity. At that time there were about 40 people there. The terrorists fired randomly. The victims were a priest and a security guard. In Derbent, a synagogue was also attacked – terrorists set it on fire.
In Makhachkala, almost at the same time, terrorists fired at a traffic police post. As a result, a shootout between the terrorists and the police began. At that moment, 19 parishioners hid in a nearby church.
According to the latest confirmed data, the number of victims of the terrorist attack in Dagestan was 19 people. Among them are 15 law enforcement officers and four civilians. The criminal investigation is being carried out under three articles of the Criminal Code of Russia – 205 (“Terrorist attack”), 222 (“Illegal trafficking in firearms”) and 226 (“Theft of firearms”).
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