The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Monday morning that it eliminated a terrorist who had planned to carry out suicide bombings at a "Jewish religious institution" in the Moscow area as well as at a metro station in the capital. According to the Russian news agency RIA, the terrorist was killed after a gunfight, during which he opened fire at FSB agents who came to arrest him.
FSB video of the incident
According to Russian authorities, the terrorist was a Russian citizen but was born in one of the Central Asian countries. He allegedly had planned to use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to target a Jewish religious institution in the Moscow area and one of the city's metro stations. He had conducted reconnaissance missions and acquired the necessary components for the attacks. His plan was to carry out the bombings and then travel to Afghanistan to join an international terrorist organization. During a search of the terrorist's apartment, weapons and materials used for making IEDs were found.
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In a video released by the FSB Monday morning, the body of the Islamist terrorist is shown along with his handgun and components for an improvised bomb. Additionally, the footage displayed messages found on the terrorist’s phone, which included instructions on how to assemble an explosive device. The RIA news agency reported that Russian security agencies have heightened their vigilance around Jewish institutions in recent months due to tensions in the Middle East and concerns over potential antisemitic attacks.
Russia has been under constant threat of attacks by ISIS and other jihadist organizations. Last spring, the country experienced its deadliest attack in two decades when ISIS terrorists targeted a concert hall in the suburbs of Moscow, killing 145 people and injuring more than 180. It was the deadliest ISIS attack on European soil.
Efforts to target Jewish institutions in Russia remain a constant threat, and last year Russia announced the prevention of several such attacks. For example, on March 7, 2024, Russia claimed it had thwarted an ISIS attack on a synagogue in Moscow. Three months later, in June, terrorists carried out a combined attack in Dagestan, targeting synagogues and churches. They slit the throat of a priest and killed 19 other police officers and civilians. Six terrorists were killed in a "gunfight that lasted through the night," while others were arrested.