2016 Shchelkovo Highway police station attack
Part of Terrorism in Russia and Islamic terrorism in Europe
Shchelkovo Highway
LocationBalashikha, Shchelkovskoye highway, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Date17 August 2016 (UTC+03:00)
TargetTraffic police officers
WeaponsGuns and axes
Deaths1 (+ 2 attackers)
Injured1
PerpetratorUthman Mardalov and Salim Israilov
MotiveIslamic extremism

On 17 August 2016, two armed men with axes and firearms attacked the traffic police station on Shchelkovskoye highway near Moscow. Both the attackers were shot dead by police.

Attack

The attack took place on Wednesday afternoon in Balashikha on the Shchelkovskoye highway, 20km (12 miles) east of Moscow.[1] The attack on the police station was carried out by two men armed with guns and axes. They seriously injured the policeman Mikhail Balakin, who was on duty in the street near the post, and opened fire on the police station building from his service weapon. By answering fire, the third inspector of the station, lieutenant Valery Pankov, managed to neutralize the attackers and called for reinforcements. [2]

Victims

Two policemen were injured. One of them, Mikhail Balakin, died in the hospital later two weeks[3] after the attack.[4]

Attackers

According to the Interfax news agency, attackers were natives of Chechnya. They were not previously known to authorities. [5] Both the attackers were shot dead by police, one died instantly, while the other later succumbed to his injuries. The attackers did not have accomplices.

Reaction

A criminal case was initiated in the Investigative Committee of Russia on the grounds of the crime provided for in Article 317 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (encroachment on the lives of law enforcement officers). The official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that the police officers who neutralized attackers will be presented to the state award. [6]

Islamic State of Iraq and Levant released a statement claiming that the attackers were "fighters from the Islamic State"[7] and calling it revenge for Russia's aerial bombing campaign in Syria. [8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Russia St Petersburg: 'Militants' killed in counter-terrorism raid". BBC. 17 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Нападение на пост ДПС в Подмосковье. Обобщение". Interfax. 17 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "«A Mosca e San Pietroburgo attacchi come a Parigi»". Ticino online (Switzerland) (in Italian). 12 November 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2017. Nella sparatoria sono però rimasti feriti due poliziotti, e uno di loro, Mikhail Balakin, è morto due settimane dopo. Aveva 44 anni.
  4. ↑ "Пострадавший в результате нападения на пост ДПС полицейский скончался". Interfax. 29 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "У напавших на пост ДПС в Подмосковье ранее не было проблем с законом". Interfax. 18 August 2016. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  6. ↑ "Отбивших нападение на пост ДПС в Подмосковье наградят". Interfax. 17 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "ISIS claims attack on traffic police officers near Moscow". The Washington Post. 18 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Islamic State claims responsibility for attack on Russian traffic police". Reuters. 17 August 2016.
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