In Dagestan, unknown persons burn down shop with Islamic literature

Today at night, in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, unknown persons burnt down a shop named "Sunna" that was selling Islamic literature, clothes and associated goods. The owner of the shop Makhmud Kurbanov asserts that supporters of the Spiritual Department of Moslems (SDM) of Dagestan could be involved in the incident.

The fire started at about 3 a.m. on August 17 in the ground floor of the house located at 58 Malygina Street. Timur Esupov, a neighbour, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he was woken up by a clap, which was followed by a strong explosion. When he ran out of the house, he saw a fire rushing out of the shop window.

The fire was soon extinguished by neighbours and local residents. The shop owner said that, by his approximate calculations, the direct damage from the fire made about one million roubles. Besides, the shop was leasing the premise, which was seriously repaired not long ago.

Operative-investigatory actions are now underway in the place of the incident; and militiamen refrain from comments, promising to make them after studying the details.

Representatives of fire-fighting services have reported that the fire could be initiated by a small explosive.