Daghestani Official Fired After Deadly Attacks Gets 10 Days In Jail

It remains unclear what exactly Magomed Omarov was sentenced for. (file photo)

The Supreme Court of the Russian North Caucasus region of Daghestan said on June 25 that the former governor of the Sergokala district, Magomed Omarov, who was fired this week after a deadly terrorist attack over the weekend, was sentenced to 10 days in jail on a "minor hooliganism" charge.

It remains unclear what exactly the former official was sentenced for.

Russian media reports said Omarov could face a terrorism charge over the fact that his two sons, Osman and Adil, as well as his nephew, Abdusamad Amadziyev, allegedly participated in a terrorist attack on a synagogue and an Orthodox church in the Daghestani capital, Makhachkala.

At least 21 people were killed and 45 wounded in the attacks, which occurred late on June 23 when gunmen opened fire at two Orthodox churches, two synagogues, and a police station in Makhachkala and the region's other major city, Derbent.

SEE ALSO: Daghestan Holds Second Day Of Mourning After At Least 20 Killed In Attacks

Omarov was detained for questioning after police searched his home on June 23 right after the attacks and the head of Daghestan, Sergei Melikov, announced the decision to fire Omarov the next day.

Speaking at a session of the Daghestani parliament on June 25, Melikov said he had ordered a check of the backgrounds of all district governors and regional lawmakers.

"How could the district governor lead a municipality if he failed to properly bring his children up? Look at the members of that [terrorist] group -- they are all from wealthy families, who had good perspectives in sports, business, were on good positions," Melikov said.

Mostly Muslim-populated Daghestan has a history of armed Islamic militancy. It borders another volatile mostly Muslim-populated region in the North Caucasus, Chechnya, where Russian forces fought two wars against separatists in the mid-1990s and early 2000s.

With reporting by TASS, RIA Novosti, and RFE/RL's Caucasus.Realities