MOSCOW. Oct 30 (Interfax) - The unrest at Makhachkala International Airport on Sunday evening was most likely orchestrated from abroad, head of the Coordinating Council of the North Caucasus Muslims Ismail Berdiyev said.
"There are forces interested in such unrest, and it's most likely that they're outside of Russia. I believe what happened should be blamed on those who want destabilization in our country," Mufti Berdiyev told Interfax on Monday.
Muslims and Mountain Jews have lived in Dagestan peacefully side by side for centuries, he said.
Earlier, the Russian Investigative Committee said that on October 29 "persons, who have yet to be identified, started rioting and committing violence at the Uytash Airport (Makhachkala), resisted law enforcement officers and used socially dangerous objects before breaking into the secured airport area and subsequently the runway towards a plane arriving from Israel and the airport terminal where they went on a rampage."
About 20 people were injured in the unrest, and two are now in critical condition, the Dagestani Health Ministry said.
A criminal case on mass riots charges was opened. The Interior Ministry said that 150 active participants in the riots were identified, with 60 of them having been detained.