Russia detains 7 on suspicion of terrorist plot

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) on Monday said it has detained seven people suspected of being involved with the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and plotting terrorist attacks in Russia’s major cities.

According to the statement, the terrorists “had prepared for huge terrorist acts using homemade explosive devices in the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, and in the Sverdlovsk region”. Following searches of the detainees homes, security forces discovered a laboratory for the manufacture of improvised explosive devices, explosives, electrodetonators, firearms, grenades, IED components, and extremist literature, the FSB said. Officers also allegedly found banned extremist writings.

The group was led by an Islamic State fighter who had arrived from Turkey, the FSB said, giving no further detail.

A criminal case has been opened into “terrorist attack”, “ammunition trafficking” and “illegal storage of explosive substances”.

The suspects were planning to go fight with ISIS in Syria after carrying out their attacks in Russian Federation, it said.

Russia believes that ISIS brought down a Russian airliner over the Egyptian Sinai previous year in an incident which killed 224 civilians. It added the group meant to leave to join IS in Syria after the alleged attacks.