Iran warned Russia of terror threat before Crocus City Hall attack, Reuters reports

The Crocus City Hall. Photo: TASS

Iran warned Russia about the possibility of a major “terrorist operation” on its territory ahead of the mass killing at the suburban Crocus City Hall.

Source: Reuters, citing sources

Quote from one source: “Days before the attack in Russia, Tehran shared information with Moscow about a possible big terrorist attack inside Russia that was acquired during interrogations of those arrested in connection with deadly bombings in Iran.”

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Details: In January, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence announced the arrest of 35 suspects linked to the explosions in the southeastern city of Kerman on 3 January, which resulted in the death of approximately 100 people. On 19 January, the ministry stated that it had arrested a commander of Islamic State’s Afghanistan-based branch ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K).

A second source, which also preferred to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, reported that the information provided by Tehran to Moscow about the impending attack lacked details regarding the time and exact target. 

“They (the members of ISIS-K) were instructed to prepare for a significant operation in Russia… One of the terrorists (arrested in Iran) said some members of the group had already travelled to Russia,” the second source said.

Quote from a third source, a high-ranking security service official: “As Iran has been a victim of terror attacks for years, Iranian authorities fulfilled their obligation to alert Moscow based on information acquired from those arrested terrorists.”

The source, familiar with US intelligence about the upcoming attack in Russia, reported that they were based on intercepted conversations between ISIS-K militants. 

Reuters notes that the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment on this story. The White House also did not provide any comments.

Background:

• A shooting incident occurred prior to a concert by the band Piknik at the Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Oblast, on the evening of 22 March. A group of individuals opened fire on concert attendees, resulting in the death of at least 144 people.
• ISIS claimed responsibility for the shooting. However, Russia stubbornly continues to accuse Ukraine of the attack, providing no evidence. Kyiv strongly denies these accusations.

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