Kizlyar church shooting

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Kizlyar church shooting
Part of Islamic State insurgency in the North Caucasus, Terrorism in Russia and Islamic terrorism in Europe
Sviato-Georgievskii khram g. Kizliar.jpg
Location Kizlyar, Dagestan, Russia
Coordinates 43°51′19″N46°42′51″E / 43.8554°N 46.7142°E / 43.8554; 46.7142
Date18 February 2018
Attack type
Mass shooting
Weapons
Deaths6 (including the perpetrator)
Injured4 [1]
PerpetratorIslamic State flag.svg  Islamic State (IS)
AssailantKhalil Khalilov

On 18 February 2018, a 22-year-old man local to the Russia's southern republic of Dagestan carrying a knife and a double-barreled shotgun opened fire on a crowd at an Orthodox church in Kizlyar, Dagestan, killing five women and injuring several other people, including two police and three others. [2] He was shot and killed by police on duty nearby.

The attack occurred as churchgoers celebrated the Sunday of Forgiveness, the last day of Cheesefare week, a Christian holiday marking the last day before Lent according to the eastern Orthodox calendar. [3]

The Islamic State (IS) named the man Khalil al-Dagestani, one of its soldiers. Police named him Khalil Khalilov. [4] Pro-IS social media later shared a video of a masked man with a shotgun and knife, said to be the killer, pledging his allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. [2]

See also

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References

  1. "Опубликован список погибших и пострадавших в результате стрельбы в Кизляре". dag.aif.ru. Feb 18, 2018. Retrieved Oct 26, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Kramer, Andrew E.; Callimachi, Rukmini (18 February 2018). "ISIS Claims Deadly Attack on Church in Russian Region of Dagestan". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  3. "Five killed in attack on church in Russia's Dagestan: agencies". Reuters . 18 February 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  4. "Russia Dagestan shooting: Five women killed in attack on churchgoers". BBC News. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.