A terrorist attack could target Moscow in the next 24 hours, the British and American embassies in Russia have warned.
Last night’s ‘security alert’ from the US embassy said it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts”.
The statement also said American citizens “should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours”.
It told US citizens in Moscow to “avoid crowds”, “monitor local media for updates” and “be aware of [their] surroundings”.
Moscow-based Britons and Americans have been told to avoid large gatherings and stay aware
Reuters/PA
The warning was repeated by the UK, which continues to advise against all travel to Russia for British citizens.
It is unclear which extremist groups were the subject of the warning, which did not divulge any details of the reported plans.
The alert was released on the same day as Russia reported FSB agents had thwarted a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Moscow by Islamic State terrorists.
Russian state-run media outlets said the militants involved in the planned attack had been killed.
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The alert from the US embassy in Moscow follows an FSB raid on an Afghan Isis cell
Reuters
The FSB said the synagogue was targeted by the Afghan wing of a Sunni Muslim Islamic State cell called Isis-Khorasan or Isis-K.
It said Isis-K was “preparing to attack the congregants of a synagogue using firearms”.
The group resisted arrest, but was “neutralised” by Russian special forces after a firefight.
The FSB said: “Firearms, ammunition, as well as components for the manufacture of an improvised explosive device were found and seized.”
The cell, which emerged in 2014, is in operation in the Kaluga region of Russia, and seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran.
It was responsible for killing 13 American military personnel in a suicide attack in Kabul during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The cell was the first Isis affiliate to be designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN Security Council.