Incident Summary:

02/18/2018: An assailant armed with a rifle and a hunting knife opened fire on worshippers exiting a Russian Orthodox Church in Kizlyar, Dagestan, Russia. At least five people were killed and five people, including two police officers, were injured in the assault before the assailant, Khalil Khalilov, was shot and killed by police. The Caucasus Province of the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

GTD ID:
201802180008

When:
2018-02-18

Country:
Russia

Region:
Eastern Europe

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Dagestan

City:
Kizlyar

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Armed Assault
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Religious Figures/Institutions
Name of Entity Unknown
Specific Description Kizlyar Russian Orthodox Church
Nationality of Target Russia
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Unknown
Extent of Property Damage Unknown
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Firearms Rifle/Shotgun (non-automatic)
Melee Knife or Other Sharp Object
Weapon Details
A hunting rifle and a knife was used in the attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Additional Information The victims included Lyudmila Shcherbakova, Vera Morgunova, Nadezhda Terliyan, Irina Melkomova, Vera Blinnikova, Natalia Pletukhina, and Nadezhda Kushnaryova.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Caucasus Province of the Islamic State Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Posted to website, blog, etc.)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators 1
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 6 Fatalities / 5 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 6
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 1
Total Number of Injured 5
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"5 killed in church shooting in Dagestan," CNN, February 18, 2018.
"Four dead in Dagestan church shooting," BBC, February 18, 2018.
"Islamic State claims responsibility for Russia church shooting," UPI, February 19, 2018.