Five mosque-goers detained in Makhachkala, eyewitnesses report (+video)

After a mass brawl of worshipers with policemen near a mosque in Makhachkala, five persons were detained, as reported by eyewitnesses of the incident. The police have confirmed the information about the detention.

The brawl burst out today after power agents surrounded the mosque in Hungarian Fighters Street and began detaining people. In the course of the incident parishioners turned the police cars over, one of the eyewitnesses told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on condition of anonymity.

"Policemen began shooting in the air; while the congregation, in an attempt to defend the detainees, turned over the police 'Gazel' van, and three UAZ cars of the patrol-and-post service (PPS). Then, some high-ranking police officer arrived and began talking to the Imam of the mosque, while insulting him," said the source.

During the incident, policemen used tear gas, resulting in a minor's fainting, which provoked even stronger reaction from the parishioners, the "Chernovik" reports.

Nigmatulla Radjabov, the Imam of the mosque, said that they managed to normalize the situation.

One of the parishioners, named Akhmed Guseinov, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that power agents detained five persons by "pushing them into a police UAZ van."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.