- US embassy issues a warning about an impending “extremists” attack.
- It advises people to stay away from big gatherings like concerts.
- The FSB claims to have stopped an attack on a Moscow synagogue.
- FSB said the Islamic State’s Afghan branch was preparing an attack.
Hours after Russian security services declared they had stopped a planned shooting at a synagogue by a cell from the Islamic State’s Afghan branch, the American embassy in Moscow issued a warning that “extremists” had immediate intentions to launch an attack in Moscow.
The embassy added that individuals should avoid concerts and crowds and be mindful of their surroundings, but it did not provide any additional information regarding the nature of the danger. The embassy has repeatedly advised all U.S. citizens to leave Russia immediately.
“The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,” according to the embassy’s website.
It issued its warning a few hours after Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the primary KGB replacement from the Soviet era, claimed to have stopped a cell of the extremist Sunni Muslim organization Islamic State from attacking a Moscow synagogue.
The U.S. has the highest level of warning for Russia – red “4 – Do not travel” – the same level as Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, and Iran. U.S. allies including Britain, Canada, South Korea, and Latvia repeated the U.S. warning and told their citizens not to travel to Russia. Most Western countries advise against all travel to Russia and say their citizens should leave.
The crisis in Russia’s relations with the West is at its worst since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which was brought on by the war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin claims that ties with Washington have likely never been worse. It accuses Washington of acting against Russia by providing money, weapons, and intelligence support to Ukraine.
As part of ISIS-Khorasan, the Afghan branch of the terrorist organization that aspires to establish a caliphate over Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran, the FSB reported that an Islamic State cell was working in the Kaluga region of Russia.
The group first surfaced in eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 and quickly gained a reputation for extreme brutality. According to the FSB, the cell “was preparing to attack the congregants of a synagogue using firearms.” When confronted, the militants offered resistance to Russian special forces, which led to their “neutralization” by return fire. “Firearms, ammunition, as well as components for the manufacture of an improvised explosive device were found and seized,” the FSB said.
When it comes to diplomatic difficulties, the U.S. State Department places Moscow with Freetown, Mogadishu, Damascus, and Kabul. Hardly any American journalists are still in Moscow.
A manual known as the “Moscow Rules,” opens new tab, was created by Western spies in the Soviet era to prevent complacency and has been modified for modern Russia. Western diplomats in Moscow report that invasive surveillance and harassment are commonplace.
Russia has long complained about discrimination against its nationals and regular harassment of its own diplomats in major Western capitals amid what Moscow claims is the biggest wave of Russophobia in nearly a century.
Guy Faulconbridge reported, while Toby Chopra and Timothy Heritage edited.
