Gunmen attack Russian Orthodox church in Chechnya

Security forces killed four gunman who attacked the Archangel Michael Church in the mostly Muslim Russian province of Chechnya Saturday, in a clash that also left two policemen and one churchgoer dead. Father Sergiy, the priest at the Russian Orthodox church in the capital city of Grozy, said worshipers attending a service heard shots and chants of “Allahu akbar” outside. He told the Russian state RIA Novosti news agency that they quickly shut the doors and secured the bolts as the attackers tried to break in. He said the churchgoer killed was outside when the attack began, while another person inside was injured. Two other police officers were also wounded in the attack, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee, who said the attackers were armed with guns and knives. Chechnya’s Moscow-backed regional leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, praised the police officers for their courage and said the region would help the families of the officers who died. Radical Islamists, some of whom have sworn allegiance to Islamic State, are known to conduct sporadic raids in Chechnya.