Four Islamist prisoners who took twelve people hostage at a Russian penal colony in the Volgograd region were shot dead by snipers on Friday. The inmates, armed with knives, had earlier killed four prison guards during the standoff at the IK-19 Surovikino prison, located around 530 miles south of Moscow.
The crisis began when the prisoners, who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS), seized four inmates and eight staff members during a meeting of the prison’s disciplinary committee. The attackers made a series of demands, including a helicopter, $2 million, and safe passage out of Russia.
Unverified videos shared on the Mash Telegram news channel, which is believed to have ties to Russian law enforcement, showed the inmates stating that their actions were in retaliation for the arrest of Islamic terrorists involved in a deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall in March. The attack, which claimed 145 lives, was the deadliest terror incident in Russia in two decades.
The situation escalated quickly as the prisoners inflicted fatal stab wounds on the guards.
“The criminals inflicted stab wounds of varying severity on four employees, three of whom died. Another four who resisted were hospitalized, one of whom died in hospital,” the federal penitentiary service reported in a statement.
Russian authorities responded by deploying special forces from the national guard, who eventually freed all the hostages. The snipers then killed the four prisoners responsible for the attack.
According to the state-run Tass news agency, three of the hostage-takers had been convicted of drug trafficking, including one from Uzbekistan and two from Tajikistan. Another inmate, also from Uzbekistan, was serving a sentence for involuntary manslaughter during a fight.
While officials have not disclosed further details about the attackers or their demands, the case has prompted the Russian government to launch a criminal investigation into the incident. The crime of hostage-taking in Russia carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
This incident marks the second prison hostage situation in southern Russia in recent months. In June, six prisoners who had pledged allegiance to ISIS took guards hostage at a detention center in the Rostov region. Five of the prisoners were killed, and the sixth was later sentenced to 20 years in prison on terrorism charges.
The Islamic State has repeatedly vowed to target Russia due to its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and this latest incident highlights the ongoing threat posed by the terror group within the country.