Russian police KILL four terrorists as petrol bomb gunmen storm church and take hostages

The battle also claimed the lives of two cops and a churchgoer at the Church of Michael the Archangel in Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Chechnya. Knives and a sawn-off shotgun were recovered from the militants after they were eliminated.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, said the terrorists have been killed and the hostages released. Mr Kadyrov said: “The militants entered St. Michael the Archangel’s Church, targeting to capture churchgoers. All four militants were eliminated in the held special operation. . . According to the latest information, the militants received the order from a Western country.”

Mufti Ismail Berdiyev, chairman of the Coordination Center of North Caucasus Muslims, has condemned the attack, which he said was aimed at destabilizing the situation in Chechnya. “It was deliberately done during the holy month in order to destabilize the situation. It’s the month of Ramadan now. It’s the time when not only wars are forbidden, but even foul language is outlawed,” Berdiyev told TASS.