Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Friday that its agents thwarted a planned terrorist attack on a Moscow police station, killing two alleged Islamic State members during the operation.
The FSB identified the two individuals as citizens of Central Asian countries and members of ISIS-K, a regional affiliate of the Islamic State primarily active in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“The suspects came to the attention of security agencies as individuals gathering information about the Russian Interior Ministry’s department in Moscow, which they had chosen as a target for a terrorist attack,” the agency said in a statement.
Law enforcement officials claimed the suspects had sworn allegiance to ISIS, acquired a vehicle and loaded it with propane gas cylinders as part of their plan to construct an improvised explosive device. The FSB said its officers killed the suspects after they opened fire during an attempt to arrest them.
Footage released by the FSB shows law enforcement agents storming an apartment and scenes from one of the suspects’ phones, including a video of them pledging loyalty to ISIS leaders beneath the group’s flag.
During the operation, security forces reportedly seized a pistol, a knife, grenade ammunition and components for a homemade bomb.
The FSB did not release additional details about the suspects or the timeline of the alleged planned attack.
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