ICC Note: Several days ago, four gunmen attacked Archangel Michael Church in Grozny, Chechnya. At least 1 churchgoer and 2 police officers were killed as well as all of the attackers. Officials are not sure if the attackers were associated with an extremist group but that area has seen many women and men traveling to Syria and Iraq to train with ISIS. With ISIS withdrawing from the Middle East, the trainees are returning home.   

05/21/2018 Chechnya Region, Russia (New York Times) – Four gunmen stormed a church in Russia’s predominantly Muslim region of Chechnya on Saturday, killing at least one churchgoer and two police officers, according to authorities.

All the attackers were killed in an exchange of gunfire with the police at the Archangel Michael Church in the center of Grozny, the capital, according to the Investigative Committee of Russia, an internal security agency.

The gunmen initially took hostages, the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said, adding that the assailants were armed with knives, hatchets and homemade explosives as well.

It was not immediately clear whether there was any link between the attackers and extremist groups. But Chechnya has experienced attacks by Islamist extremists before, including those who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

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