Daghestani security forces kill four suspects allegedly planning a terrorist attack

On Wednesday night in the Daghestani capital Makhachkala, law enforcement officers carried out an ‘anti-terrorist operation’, resulting in a shootout in which four suspects suspected of preparing a terrorist act were killed.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAC) claimed that those who were killed were planning an attack on an Interior Ministry facility in the city of Kaspiysk.

According to official statements, the incident began with an attempt by traffic police officers to stop a passenger car in the Kirovsky district on the outskirts of Makhachkala for a document check. The driver allegedly ignored demands to stop, and the passengers opened fire at the officers with automatic weapons. In response, a firefight broke out, resulting in the four individuals being killed.

In connection with the threat, the head of the local branch of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) decided to introduce a counter-terrorist operation (CTO) within the administrative boundaries of the Kirovsky district of Makhachkala.

At the scene of the clash and in a nearby cache, law enforcers found an arsenal of weapons, including grenade launchers, improvised explosive devices, grenades, automatic rifles, a pistol, and ammunition. According to the NAC, the group's activities were coordinated by members of the Islamic State.

There were no casualties among civilians and law enforcement officers. The CTO regime was lifted at 06:20 local time.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case under articles on attempt on the life of law enforcement officers and illegal arms trafficking.

Daghestani Head Sergei Melikov commented on the incident, calling the actions of the killed ‘an attempt to destabilise the situation in the region’. He noted that their motives are yet to be clarified and emphasised that the situation in Daghestan remains calm after the lifting of the CTO regime.

No information about the identity of those killed or evidence of their involvement in terrorist activities has yet been presented in open sources.

Russian security agencies regularly report on the prevention of terrorist attacks and the elimination of suspected militants in the North Caucasus.

For example, in August 2023, the FSB reported the ‘neutralisation’ of a group in the western Russian region of Bryansk, which, according to the agency, was preparing an attack on administrative facilities in the North Caucasus.

The last such case was reported by the FSB on 3 March, when law enforcement officers killed a man in the Moscow region who was allegedly preparing an explosion in the Moscow metro and an attack on a synagogue in the region.

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