Ex–Salafi preacher shot dead in Daghestan

A 33-year-old ex–Salafi preacher was shot dead in Daghestan on 6 January. Saygidakhmed Magomedov was killed near his house in the village of Mutsalaul, in Daghestan’s Khasavyurt District.

A source in Daghestani law enforcement told OC Media that Magomedov was at home with his family when at around 22:00, several unknown men called him into the street.

‘Later, Magomedov’s body was found with gunshots near the gate of the house. The family did not hear the shots. Presumably, the killers used a silencer’, the source said.

The motives for the killing are being investigated, and a criminal case has been launched for murder and illegal possession of a weapon. The Investigative Committee say they are considering all possibilities.

Magomedov left behind a wife and five children.

Several media outlets have reported that Magomedov was an imam in Mutsalaul, but the source in law enforcement said that at the time of the murder he was no longer preaching.

A month ago, the Salafi mosque where Magomedov worked was closed, according to Kavkaz.Realii. They also say that another imam at the mosque, Magomed Payzullayev, had fled to Egypt after receiving threats from law enforcement agents.

Magomedov is the third imam killed in Daghestan since September 2015; another three have been forced from their posts, Caucasian Knot reports .

[Read on OC Media: Daghestani authorities refuse to reopen Salafi mosque]