MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/. The National Anti-Terrorist Committee reported two bandits which swore allegiance to the Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) were killed in the southern Stavropol territory.
"In the operation to stop activities of the so-called sleeping bandit gang, which swore allegiance to the IS international terrorist organization, at about 23:00 on April 21 at a road in the Kochubei district, the security authority's personnel attempted to stop a Lada Priora car, where the bandits were," the Committee's information center told TASS.
The persons in the car opened fire from automatic guns and attempted fleeing. "In retaliatory fire, the two bandits were killed," the authority said.
"The killed militants have been identified preliminary: one of them was head of the gang, he was trained at IS camps and came to Russia for organizing terrorist attacks, and the other one was the gang's active member," the information center said.
"The security authorities have information the said bandits plotted a series of terrorist attacks, including murders of religious figures and other civilians," the authority said.
At the site, the security personnel found an automatic gun, components for a self-made explosive device. In the house, where one of the militants lived, were found grenades, an explosive device ready for use, a gun, IS attributes and extremist religious literature. The security service’s engineers defused the explosives.
The Committee reports no losses among the law enforcement personnel.