A terrorist attack targeting a synagogue in Moscow has been prevented, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Thursday.
The suspect was shot and killed during a standoff with security operatives, the FSB told Russian media in a statement, adding that the man was plotting an attack against one of the city’s synagogues.
The FSB has not revealed the identity of the suspect but said that he was a citizen of one of the Central Asian countries, who’d arrived in Russia in 2023. The man had a criminal record at home and became radicalized while serving a prison sentence, the statement added.
After arriving in Russia, the suspect started to actively prepare for the attack, according to the agency. He studied the area where the synagogue in question was located and bought chemicals and components needed to produce an improvised explosive device (IED).
On Wednesday, the FSB raided the apartment the suspect was living in, seeking to detain him. The man “offered armed resistance and was neutralized with return fire,” the statement said. During the raid, the operatives discovered a fully functional IED as well as explosives in his residence.
In early March, the FSB reported thwarting another Moscow synagogue attack. At that time, the security service eliminated a cell linked to ISIS-K, an Afghanistan-based offshoot of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). The terrorists were based in the Kaluga Region, which borders Moscow Region. Firearms as well as ammunition and IED components were found during that raid.
The news comes just three weeks after a major terrorist attack on a concert venue outside Moscow. On March 22, four gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall ahead of a rock band performance. They made their way to the main auditorium, shooting indiscriminately, and then set the building on fire. The attack left over 140 people dead and more than 500 injured.
The four shooters, as well as seven alleged accomplices, were arrested after the assault. ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for the massacre. Russian officials have said that the terrorist act was carried out by radical Islamists, but still maintained that the Ukrainian government could be behind the operation. Kiev has denied the allegation.