A mixed martial arts fighter and a relative of a local official were among the gunmen who attacked a place of worship in the Russian republic of Dagestan on Sunday, local authorities said.
Five of the attackers who targeted the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala on Sunday have been identified, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Monday, citing law enforcement agencies.
Gunmen opened fire at several places of worship and a police traffic stop in two cities in the Muslim-majority republic on Sunday, killing at least 15 police officers and at least four civilians, including an Orthodox priest, authorities said.
Some of the attackers were from the Sergokalinsky district between the two cities and were related to its head, the TASS news agency said.
According to the TASS news agency, among those attacking the Derbent facilities was Gadzhimurad Khagirov, a former mixed martial arts fighter and cousin of the Sergokalinsky district head, Magomed Omarov.
The attackers included Omarov's son and nephew, the TASS news agency reported.
Sergei Melikov, head of the republic of Dagestan, told reporters on Monday that Omarov has since been sacked and expelled from the United Russia party, one of the main parties in Russia's parliament.
Melikov did not say how many of Omarov's relatives were allegedly involved in the attack.
Melikov said he could not comment further on the extent of Omarov's guilt or possible involvement in the attack. “This is a task for the investigators, but if his involvement is confirmed there will be full accountability,” he said.
But Omarov continued that as parents, we should be responsible for our children's actions, whether we were directly involved or not.
“Why did he, as the head of a municipality, as a United Russia member, as a high-ranking leader, as the head of a municipality for several years, who has the duty to look after the entire population of the region, not pay attention to the children and overlook them? [the children’s actions and possible red flags]and he missed them so much that he became a murderer,” he said.
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