Four knife-wielding prisoners claiming to be Islamic State group militants launched a deadly attack in a penal colony in southern Russia, resulting in four deaths before the attackers were killed and the hostages were released. The incident occurred at a harsh regime penal colony in the town of Surovikino in the Volgograd region. The attackers initially seized eight penal colony employees and four fellow inmates, injuring and killing several of them. The attackers were eventually neutralized by snipers.
News sites reported the names of the alleged attackers as citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, although there was no official confirmation of these reports. President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the situation and will be meeting with security officials to discuss it. The region’s governor stated that the attackers were eliminated, but unfortunately, lives were lost as a result of their actions.
This attack is part of a larger trend of Islamist militant attacks in Russia, including a recent ISIS-linked prison uprising in Rostov and shooting attacks in Dagestan. In March, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack at a concert hall near Moscow that resulted in the deaths of over 140 people. Authorities in Russia are working to combat these threats and maintain security within the country.
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