Russian Official Blames Islamic ‘Sleeper Cells’ for Church and Synagogue Attacks

Breitbart.com reports: “Sergei Melikov, the governor of Dagestan, said on Monday that Islamic ‘sleeper cells’ under foreign direction carried out the bloody attacks on churches and synagogues that killed at least 21 people on Sunday.

The Islamic State congratulated the attackers but did not take direct responsibility for the slaughter.

Russian police said they killed five gunmen in an ‘anti-terrorist operation’ to end the killings in the cities of Makhachkala and Derbent on Sunday. Before they were brought down, the terrorists attacked two Orthodox churches, two synagogues, and a police checkpoint.

A 66-year-old Russian Orthodox priest, Rev. Nikolai Kotelnikov, was among the murder victims. Sunday was the Pentecost or Trinity Sunday holiday on the Orthodox calendar.

The official death toll from the attack rose to 21 on Tuesday after a police officer succumbed to his wounds in the hospital. Sixteen of the dead were police officers, according to Dagestan officials. Another 46 people were injured, including 13 police officers…”

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