Death toll in Russian terror attack climbs to 16 including cops and a priest 'who had his throat slit' when gunmen torched synagogues and a church in rampage in Dagestan region - as six attackers are killed

At least 15 people officers as well as several civilians and a priest were slaughtered by a horde of gunmen as they stormed religious sites in southern Russia in a shocking terror attack yesterday.

Horrific footage showed the militants stalking through the streets brandishing automatic rifles before unleashing a torrent of bullets at onlookers and police officers. 

The attacks unfolded in several locations in the tinderbox region of Dagestan, a largely Muslim region of Russia that borders Georgia and Azerbaijan. 

A synagogue in the regional capital Makhachkala was set alight with smoke seen pouring from the building, while another group of attackers set fire to a second synagogue in Derbent, the southernmost city in Russia which lies roughly 80 miles further south. 

There the gunmen also attacked an Orthodox church where they reportedly slit the throat of a priest named locally as 66-year-old Father Nikolai Kotelnikov who served more than 40 years in Derbent. 

Dagestan's regional governor this morning said six 'bandits' had been 'eliminated' after Russia's Anti-Terrorist Committee earlier reported five gunmen were killed.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but there is evidence to suggest the shootings were an Islamist attack.

Russian state news agency Tass revealed that Magomed Omarov, the head of Dagestan's Sergokalinsky district, was arrested after officers learned two of his sons had taken part in the shootings. 

One of his sons reportedly shared a video to the Telegram messaging app in which he declared 'Allahu Akhbar' and said he was 'killing infidels'.

Shocking clips circulating on the Telegram messaging app showed how hundreds of civilians desperately fled the scene of the shootings in Derbent, where the attacks knocked out power in the city centre yesterday. 

The synagogue attacked and set alight by the gunmen in the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the centrepiece of an ancient Jewish community. 

The chairman of the public council of Russia's Federation of Jewish Communities, Boruch Gorin wrote late last night that 'it has not been possible to extinguish the fire' at the synagogue. 

He added: 'The synagogue in Makhachkala has also been set on fire and burnt down.'

Gorin wrote that in Derbent, firefighters had been told to leave the burning synagogue because of the risk that 'terrorists remained inside'.

In a video statement this morning, Dagestan regional governor Sergei Melikov said that the situation in the region was now under control of the law enforcement and local authorities. 

He vowed that the investigation 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.

That update followed a message he shared last night in which he stated: 'Tonight in Derbent and Makhachkala, unknown individuals attempted to destabilise the public situation. 

'Dagestan police officers stood in their way. According to preliminary information, there are casualties among them.'

Meanwhile, authorities are now probing Dagestani official Omarov, whose sons Osman, 30, and Adil, 37, were among the gunmen who slaughtered innocent civilians and attacked the places of worship. 

He has also been ejected from Vladimir Putin's United Russia party while investigations continue. 

Before he was gunned down, Osman posted a chilling video showing the synagogue in Makhachkala on fire, declaring: 'Behold, inshallah….Here is their synagogue burning.

'Inshallah, Allah be praised, let these infidels….be humiliated. We will kill them like this, humiliate them, and the word of Allah will be exalted.

'Inshallah, Allahu Akbar!'

High profile figures in Russia have taken to social media to express their condolences and condemn the violence.

MMA fighter and former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, one of Dagestan's most celebrated individuals worldwide, wrote: 'My condolences to all the relatives and friends of the victims.

'May Allah save us all from such situations and grant us a peaceful sky over our heads.

'Take care of yourself and your loved ones, and let everyone take a look around at whom they and their children are interacting with. 

'Educating souls is more important than educating bodies.'

Dagestan has seen a series of anti-Semitic events in the past year, most notably when a mob stormed the airport in Makhachkala to search for Jewish passengers from Israel in the weeks following Hamas' October 7 attacks on the Nova music festival in Re'im and several kibbutzim across the border from Gaza.

The attacks on the religious sites across Dagestan come just months after a deadly terrorist attack in Moscow took the lives of nearly 145 people. 

Islamic State Khorasan Provice (ISIS-K), a particularly brutal sect of ISIS, slaughtered innocent concertgoers who went to see the Russian band Picnic at the Crocus City Hall concert venue in March this year. 

After shooting up the venue and setting it alight, 145 people died while 551 people were injured by gunfire or burns. 

At that time, Russian officials also sought to link Ukraine to the attack without providing any evidence. Kyiv has vehemently denied any involvement.