ISIS detainees killed after taking hostages in Russian prison, authorities say

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

1 1 minute read

Security forces stormed a detention center in southern Russia on Sunday, killing detainees accused of links to the Islamic State group who had taken two staff members hostage, the funded news channel reported by the State RT.

Journalists on site reported sounds of gunfire, while several ambulances were seen arriving at the prison in images posted on social media.

The hostages at the pre-trial detention center in Rostov-on-Don were not injured, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service said in a statement. He said the hostage-takers had been “liquidated” but made no further comments.

A number of local media outlets, including RT, reported that at least some of the prisoners had been killed.

Earlier, the official Tass news agency, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, said that six hostage-takers were in the central courtyard of detention center No. 1 of the Rostov region, armed with a pocketknife, a rubber baton and a fire axe. Among the prisoners are men accused of links to the Islamic State group, the statement said.

Images posted on social media appear to show at least two of the hostage-takers wearing a headband resembling the IS flag. Other images showed prisoners brandishing knives.

Learn moreRussia charges four men over attack on Moscow concert hall

IS has carried out several attacks on Russian soil in recent years. An IS-affiliated group claimed responsibility for the latest attack in March, when gunmen opened fire on a crowd at a concert hall in a Moscow suburb, killing 145 people.

(PA)