A gunman has killed four women and injured three others, including police officers, at a folk festival in the Russian republic of Dagestan.
A man armed with a hunting rifle opened fire on churchgoers in the city of Kizlyar, the Associated Press reports.
Kizlyar’s mayor Alexander Shuvalov told Russian media the gunman opened fire as people were leaving a Sunday evening service at a local Orthodox church.
“Four people were killed. The shooter was shot dead. Two police officers and a woman were wounded,” he said.
Christians are a small minority in Dagestan, which is ethnically diverse and over 80 per cent Muslim, according to a 2012 census. The region has been a key recruiting ground for the Islamic State, and the self-proclaimed caliphate has taken responsibility for a number of attacks there, including stabbings and a police convoy bombing.
However, while the killer has been identified as a local man in his twenties, the authorities have not disclosed his name or suggested a motive.
This story is developing…
