The self-proclaimed Islamic State claimed responsibility for an armed attack in Dagestan, southern Russia, that killed five people, according to the Amaq jihadist propaganda agency, without giving further details.
A man opened fire on a crowd of worshipers leaving a church today, killing five people and injuring five others, Russian media reported, citing the local health ministry.
Authorities say the perpetrator was a resident of the area and that his wife is being held for questioning. But police have not commented on the possible motive for the attack.
Dagestan is a predominantly Muslim region located between Chechnya and the Caspian Sea.
A statement from the Islamic State group, published on Monday on an ISIS-linked website, claimed responsibility for the incident, saying a Muslim fighter had attacked a "Christian temple" in Kizlyar. The authenticity of the statement could not be confirmed, but the website is regularly used by ISIS to make militant statements.
The attack came less than two weeks after several top Dagestan officials were arrested on charges of embezzlement as part of the Kremlin's efforts to tighten control of the volatile region. Officials, including the head of the Dagestan government, were arrested at their homes before dawn at a high-speed military operation in Dagestan and flown to Moscow. Observers saw the latest arrests as part of the Kremlin's efforts to retain local elites and gain some control over the economically contested region.