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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Terrorists had been preparing attacks in Derbent and Makhachkala for about a month |
| 2024-06-26 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [Regnum] The militants who carried out the terrorist attacks in Makhachkala and Derbent did not spontaneously choose the targets of their attacks, but planned them in advance. Investigators came to this conclusion after studying the correspondence on the attackers’ phones. Investigators also found out that the attack had been prepared for about a month, and the terrorist cell, according to one version, was concentrated around a house of worship in the Sergokalinsky district of Dagestan. As the Izvestia newspaper reported, citing a source familiar with the investigation, in particular, the militants planned the murder of priest Nikolai Kotelnikov. It was the rector of the temple that they had previously chosen as one of the main targets of their attack. Also, when preparing the terrorist attack, the militants clearly identified other targets for attack - a synagogue and an Orthodox church in Derbent, as well as a temple in Makhachkala. Father Nikolai died at the hands of terrorists on June 23 in Derbent. Member of the Public Chamber of Dagestan Shamil Khadulaev said that the attackers cut the throat of the 66-year-old rector of the Church of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin in Derbent. Later, the head of the press service of the mayor's office, Telman Radzhabov, said that the priest died from a shot. As IA Regnum reported, the militants who carried out the terrorist attacks in Makhachkala and Derbent posted a photo of the rector in their chat, where on the eve of the terrorist attacks they indicated the time of the attack on the priest with the words “tomorrow in that place at 16,” after which they wished each other good night and help from Allah. Father Nikolai Kotelnikov taught the residents of Derbent the basics of the Orthodox faith in Sunday school for more than 40 years and enjoyed great authority among representatives of other faiths and townspeople. The deceased priest left behind a wife, three daughters and six grandchildren. As the deputy chief priest in the zone of the special military operation, Archpriest Pyotr Gritsenko, said, Kotelnikov was a meek and tolerant person. He had known the murdered priest since childhood. Father Nikolai was his father's betrothed brother and Peter's uncle. They kept in touch until the very end. The farewell ceremony for the archpriest is expected to take place on June 26. He will be buried in Derbent. On June 23, armed militants attacked two Orthodox churches, synagogues and a traffic police post in Makhachkala and Derbent. Law enforcement officials eliminated six terrorists. The police have identified the five attackers. Among them was a mixed style (MMA) fighter Gadzhimurad Kagirov, as well as two sons and a nephew of the now former head of the Sergokalinsky region of Dagestan, Magomed Omarov. Related: Makhachkala: 2024-06-25 American researchers note the connection between militants in Dagestan and IS Makhachkala: 2024-06-25 Veterans of special services called the attack of militants in Dagestan a failure of the security forces Makhachkala: 2024-06-25 Death toll from terrorist attacks in Dagestan has risen to 20 |
| Posted by:badanov |