Russia probes church killing for ‘extremist’ links

In this video grab provided by the RU-RTR Russian television a Russian National Guard’s soldier patrols the place outside of the Russian Orthodox Church where shooting took place with bodies of victims covered by white material in Kizlyar,

Russia, on Feb 18. (AP) Russia is investigating whether the gunman behind a deadly attack on an Orthodox church in the North Caucasus had extremist ties, the Kremlin said Monday after Islamic State claimed the shooting.

“There is an investigation into whether the attacker was linked to extremist organisations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists a day after five women were shot dead near an Orthodox church in Kizlyar, a town in the Dagestan region.

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group who referred to the gunman shot dead by police as “a soldier of Islam” in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Peskov did not mention IS explicitly, saying only “there are indeed several organisations, including those tied to international terrorism, who are continuing their destructive activities.”

The Investigative Committee said Sunday the assailant was a local resident born in 1995. A murder probe was launched but an “act of terror” was a possible motive, it said.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill condemned the attack, saying it aimed to sow discord between religious groups in the Caucasus. He was expected to lead a memorial service for the victims Monday in Moscow’s main Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. (AFP)