Hostage situation in Russian jail, Islamic State militants slash guards

Aug. 23, 2024, 12:15 p.m.

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Prisoners wielding knives and claiming to be Islamic State militants launched a violent attack on guards at a Russian penal colony on Friday and took hostages, according to state media and news outlets connected to security services.

A video posted by one of the news channels, Mash, showed at least two attackers. One of them shouted that they were “mujahideen” of the militant group Islamic State and had seized control of the prison in the Volgograd region.

Advertisement At least four prison guards in uniform were found lying or sitting in pools of blood. Three were lying still, one with a cut throat. Another was sitting upright in a doorway, where a man with a knife was choking him.

Russian state media reported the death of at least one prison staff member, but the video indicated the casualty count was likely much higher.

The prison service said in a statement: “During a session of a disciplinary commission, convicts took staff of the penal institution as hostages. Measures are currently being taken to free the hostages. There are casualties.”

The prison is designated as a “harsh regime” penal colony with capacity to hold up to 1,241 male prisoners.

News outlets with security connections published the names of up to four suspected attackers, identifying them as citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. No official confirmation was provided.

Russia, with its defense and security agencies heavily engaged in the Ukraine war, has seen a recent surge in Islamist militant attacks.

In June, a violent prison revolt linked to the Islamic State unfolded in the southern Rostov region, resulting in the deaths of six inmates who had taken hostages, shot by special forces.

Later that month, at least 20 people were killed in shootings in two cities in Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia.

Advertisement In March, Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in which gunmen stormed the Crocus City concert hall near Moscow, firing on the audience with automatic weapons and setting the building ablaze, killing more than 140 people.