Video: Fatalities in Shootings in the Russian Republic of Dagestan

Several people were killed, including a police officer, when gunmen opened fire in the Republic of Dagestan in Russia today, according to initial media reports. Russian news agencies quoted the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan stating that gunmen shot at a synagogue in the city of "Derbent," which has a Jewish community. Russian news agencies reported that six police officers were killed and 12 were injured today in a series of attacks on a synagogue, an Orthodox church, and a police station in the southern region of Russia. News reports indicated that two of the attackers were killed in an exchange of gunfire with the police. An earlier report indicated that three people had been killed in the attacks, including two police officers and a priest. There was another exchange of gunfire at a police station in the city of "Makhachkala," located about 125 kilometers north along the Caspian Sea coast in Dagestan. Russian authorities have opened an investigation into the circumstances and motives behind the attacks.