Russia's anti-terror police have foiled dozens of terror attacks across the country, including several planned by Al-Qaeda in the Black Sea cities of Sochi and Anapa.
According to Chairman of the National Anti-terrorist Committee, Alexander Bortnikov, this year has seen 69 terror attacks prevented in Russia, 36 of which were aimed at densely populated areas. In the course of anti-terrorist operations more than 170 gunman, including 13 gang leaders, have been killed and 350 detained. According to the official, courts passed guilty verdicts on 198 people who committed terrorist crimes this year. However, Alexander Bortnikov, who is also the Head of the Federal Security Service, noted that the number of attacks against officials and police officers in Russia's southern regions remains high.