| 2016 Shchelkovo Highway police station attack | |
|---|---|
 Shchelkovo Highway | |
 Interactive map of 2016 Shchelkovo Highway police station attack | |
| Location | 55°49′36.2″N37°53′53.8″E / 55.826722°N 37.898278°E /55.826722; 37.898278 Balashikha, Shchelkovskoye highway, Moscow Oblast, Russia |
| Date | 17 August 2016 (UTC+03:00) |
| Target | Traffic police officers |
Attack type | Terrorism |
| Weapons | Guns and axes |
| Deaths | 1 (+ 2 attackers) |
| Injured | 1 |
| Perpetrator | Uthman Mardalov and Salim Israilov |
| Motive | Islamic extremism |
On 17 August 2016, two armed men with axes and firearms attacked thetraffic police station on Shchelkovskoye highway nearMoscow. Both the attackers were shot dead by police.
The attack took place on Wednesday afternoon inBalashikha on the Shchelkovskoye highway, 20 km (12 miles) east of Moscow.[1] The attack on the police station was carried out by two men armed withguns andaxes. They seriously injured thepoliceman Mikhail Balakin, who was on duty in the street near the post, and opened fire on the police station building from his service weapon. By answering fire, the third inspector of the station, lieutenant Valery Pankov, managed to neutralize the attackers and called for reinforcements.[2]
Two policemen were injured. One of them, Mikhail Balakin, died in the hospital later two weeks[3] after the attack.[4]
According to theInterfax news agency, attackers were natives ofChechnya. They were not previously known to authorities.[5] Both the attackers were shot dead by police, one died instantly, while the other later succumbed to his injuries. The attackers did not have accomplices.
A criminal case was initiated in theInvestigative Committee of Russia on the grounds of the crime provided for in Article 317 of theCriminal Code of the Russian Federation (encroachment on the lives of law enforcement officers). The official representative of theMinistry of Internal Affairs stated that the police officers who neutralized attackers will be presented to the state award.[6]
Islamic State released a statement claiming that the attackers were "fighters from the Islamic State"[7] and calling it revenge for Russia'saerial bombing campaign in Syria.[8]
Nella sparatoria sono però rimasti feriti due poliziotti, e uno di loro, Mikhail Balakin, è morto due settimane dopo. Aveva 44 anni.