MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. Security agencies and the National Anti-Terror Committee will eliminate extremist cells and identify masterminds of the terror attack in Dagestan in the North Caucasus within the shortest time possible, Speaker of the Federation Council (the upper house of Russia’s parliament) Valentina Matviyenko said on her Telegram channel on Monday.

"Of course, we can be confident that security forces and the Anti-Terror Committee will within the shortest time possible mop up extremist cells, complete investigative measures and reliably establish where and to which masterminds the traces of already confirmed foreign financing lead," the top senator said.

On June 23, a group of terrorists attacked two Orthodox churches and two synagogues in Derbent and Makhachkala in Dagestan. Over 15 policemen were killed in the terror attacks. As Dagestan Head Sergey Melikov specified, several civilians, among them Father Nikolay who had served in an Orthodox church in Derbent for more than 40 years, were killed in the attacks. According to the latest data, 25 people were wounded in the terror attacks. A total of 16 people, among them 13 policemen, were taken to Makhachkala hospitals.

Investigators have opened a criminal probe under article 205 of Russia’s Criminal Code (‘A Terror Attack’). As Russia’s National Anti-Terror Committee reported, five militants have been eliminated. Dagestan Head Melikov has said that six militants have been eliminated and the authorities will continue exposing sleeper militant cells that have also prepared from abroad.