Six killed after hostages taken in failed Rostov-on-Don jail break

Six detainees at a pretrial detention centre in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don were killed on Sunday just hours after taking two prison guards hostage, state news agency RIA Novosti has reported, in what appears to have been a well-planned jail break.

The stand-off began overnight when, according to Telegram news channel Baza, six inmates, some of whom were facing terrorism charges, broke the bars on their cells and took the head of operations and a junior inspector hostage. Baza reported that the hostage-takers had weapons, IS flags and communication equipment.

Telegram channel Shot said three of the men who were awaiting trial for allegedly planning a terrorist attack last year had recruited three other inmates to join what appears to have been a thoroughly planned attack.

The hostage-takers then released video footage of the unfolding crisis, in which a bearded man holding a knife declares, “Islamic State mujahideen have taken over the centre”. The hostage-takers demanded a car, weapons and safe passage out of Russia, Baza reported.

The building was stormed by National Guard and secret service operatives in an operation taking just three minutes on Sunday morning, Baza said. Three of the hostage-takers reportedly died immediately, while the other three died before the emergency services arrived. While one of the hostages suffered minor injuries, his life is not believed to be in danger.