Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) on Monday said that it had thwarted a planned mass shooting in Moscow after its officers fatally shot a man who intended to carry out the attack.
State-run television showed footage of a man, who FSB said was from a Central Asian country, lying face down with a Kalashnikov assault rifle nearby that he had used to fire on officers.
The man had allegedly opened fire on FSB officers who had attempted to arrest him, and was eventually shot dead by the officers. He was also in possession of hand grenades, according to Russia media reports.
FSB officials later said that the man had ties to a militant group in Syria, Reuters reported. His brother has also since been detained and a search has begun for other accomplices in the planned attack.
The brother reportedly told the Russian Interior Ministry earlier this month that he believed the suspect was communicating with terrorists, according to Interfax news agency.
Russian security agencies have previously said that thousands of people from the Muslim regions of northern Russia as well as the former Soviet republics of Central Asia have traveled to Syria and Iraq to fight with militant groups.
Russia has previously been the target of terrorist attacks, including in 2017 when a bomb claimed the lives of 15 people in the St. Petersburg metro station.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.