Russian law enforcement has foiled a string of potential terrorist attacks in the southern part of the country, detaining several suspects, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced.
In a statement on Saturday, the FSB noted that the agency and the Interior Ministry had apprehended three local residents in the city of Kaspiysk in Dagestan, who are allegedly linked to an undisclosed terrorist organization.
Officials added that the suspects intended “to commit sabotage and terrorist acts against employees of the local law enforcement agencies, as well as an Orthodox church.”
As a result of the operation, agents found a homemade explosive device, components to manufacture such devices, bladed weapons, and terrorist flags in the suspects’ homes. Other items included manuals on urban and forest combat, shooting, and the assembly of explosives, incendiary devices, and grenades.
The FSB added that the detainees had confessed. The agency also released a video of the suspects being arrested and brought in for interrogation. One of the detainees told agents that the group had planned to use the explosive to blow up a church, and another revealed that they intended to attack patrol officers on the street with knives.
Earlier this month, the FSB claimed to have unraveled another plot to attack an Orthodox church in the Republic of Adygea, which is also in the southern part of the country. The agency arrested a migrant from a Central Asian republic, who later admitted to watching propaganda materials created by the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorist organization.
The announcement comes after a group of gunmen in Dagestan attacked several targets in two cities in June, including two churches, a synagogue, and a police post. A total of 22 people died in the shootings, including 17 police officers, while about 50 others were injured. Local authorities said six gunmen were also killed by law enforcement.