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There's a lot we still don't know about this attack, which continued long into the night. It apparently ended with a shootout in the grounds of Daghistan's main Orthodox Cathedral. But who the gunmen were and their wider affiliation, is still unclear. That hasn't stopped some from making a surprising conclusion, though, that foreign forces were involved.

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Further operational search and investigative measures will continue until we've identified all members of these sleeping cells, which were certainly prepared, including from abroad.

Sergey Milikow is the regional governor and visited the scenes of the attack today. A church where a 66-year-old priest is said to have been brutally murdered, and a synagogue that was set alight. He didn't provide provide any evidence for his claim of foreign involvement, and he's not the only one asserting it. The local MP insists there's no doubt Ukraine and NATO are connected. But as this predominantly Muslim region begins three days of morning, others are less sure. It recalls previous attacks by a homegrown Islamist insurgency. The FSB said they defeated in 2017. But there's a fear it's returning.

It's clear that a threat from radical Islamism in Russia is increased. The main goal of this terrorist attack was not just to kill some governmental authorities, but to provoke anti-muslim pogroms in Russian cities.

It comes three months after the deadly assault on Moscow's Crocus City Hall. Over 140 people were killed killed in Russia's worst terror attack in 20 years. It was claimed by Islamic State, but that didn't stop the authorities from blaming Ukraine. As we've seen here, there are similar attempts because it helps to reinforce the wider narrative that Russia's under attack from the West. Iva Bennett, Sky News, Moscow.