MOSCOW (AA & The Muslim News): A gunman opened fire at a festival in Russia’s northern Caucasus Republic of Dagestan on Sunday, killing five women and injuring four — including two police officers — said Russia’s Interior Ministry.
The unidentified gunman was also killed.
The attack, claimed by Daesh, took place on Orthodox Church. An unidentified gunman fired at worshippers in the small town of Kizlyar in the mainly Muslim region. The attack took place after a service to mark the start of Russian Orthodox Lent.
“An unknown man opened fire with a hunting rifle in Kizlyar, fatally wounding four women,” the regional internal affairs ministry said in a statement. A fifth woman died of her injuries in hospital, the health ministry spokeswoman Zalina Mourtazalieva told Tass news agency.
“At about 16.30 [13.30GMT], an unknown man opened fire using a hunting rifle,” said a ministry statement.
The man was later identified as a 22-year-old local resident Khalil Khalilov. Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case under Articles 105.2 (murder with aggravating circumstances) and 317 (attempt on the life of a law enforcer) of the Russian Criminal Code.
According to Tass News Agency, the shooter had a sporting gun, bullets and a knife on him.
The incident took place in Dagestan’s Kizlyar on Sunday. Some sources say the shooter opened gunfire in a church, others say he was shooting at people, mostly women, leaving the church. The man was shot dead by police when trying to flee the scene. As a result of shooting five people were killed and five more were wounded.
Kizlyar, located 170 kilometers from Dagestan’s capital of Makhachkala, has a population of around 50,000. People of ten ethnic groups live in the town, with Russians accounting for about 40% of the population.
The incident happened during an outdoor festival in celebration of Maslenitsa, a Russian spring festival.
Dagestan borders the Caspian Sea to the east as well as Azerbaijan and Georgia.
[Map of Dagestan. by This work has been released into the public domain by its author, PANONIAN].