Several countries have now joined the United States in issuing warnings to their citizens in Russia to stay away from crowded areas due to a potential terrorist threat. This comes shortly after Russian authorities reported foiling an attempted attack on a synagogue in Moscow.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has issued a security alert, cautioning that there are reports of extremists planning to target large gatherings in Moscow, including concerts. It is advised that U.S. citizens should avoid attending such gatherings in the next 48 hours.
The British Embassy in Moscow wasted no time in sharing the warning and cautioning U.K. nationals to steer clear of any travel to Russia. By Friday, several other countries, including Canada, Germany, Sweden, South Korea, Latvia, and the Czech Republic, had also issued warnings to their citizens regarding the alleged threat.
According to Russian state media agency TASS, the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia stated that they had thwarted an Islamic State terror cell’s attempt to carry out a terrorist act against a Jewish religious institution in Moscow. Although the nature of the threat was not specified, the FSB successfully prevented the attack.
According to a statement from the FSB, thorough search operations have revealed that these individuals are members of an international terrorist organization. It was discovered that they were planning to carry out an attack on a synagogue, intending to use firearms.
The statement mentions that during the operation to apprehend them, the terrorists actively resisted the Russian FSB personnel and were subsequently neutralized in the exchange of gunfire.
The connection between the purported synagogue attack plan and the threat mentioned by the U.S. embassy was unclear.
According to a spokesperson from the U.S. State Department, the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas is of utmost importance. However, they refrained from commenting on any potential connection and emphasized the department’s policy of not disclosing information on intelligence matters.
On Friday, Newsweek contacted the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry via email to seek their comment.
The U.S. embassy in Russia has been issuing frequent warnings to American citizens to depart the country in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch a comprehensive invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Several countries, along with the United States, have issued warnings about the possibility of extremist attacks this week. These nations have previously advised their citizens to leave Russia and avoid traveling there due to the ongoing war.
Several allies of Putin in Russia have launched baseless conspiracy theories this week, alleging that the U.S. and U.K. are plotting to carry out terror attacks in Russia and falsely attribute them to a different party.
A post on the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel RIA Katyusha asserts that the USA and Britain no longer conceal their involvement in the terrorist attacks in Russia.
According to reports, Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT, a Russian state-run media outlet, has raised concerns about the potential “complicity” of the U.S. and U.K. in future terror attacks in Russia. She emphasized the importance of sharing “specific information” with the Kremlin to prevent such incidents from happening.
As of March 8, 2024, at 6:52 p.m. ET, a U.S. State Department spokesperson has provided a comment, which has been incorporated into this article.