Russia arrests 10 suspected terrorists planning Moscow, St. Petersburg attacks

From CTV of Canada and the Tass News agency

MOSCOW — Russia’s security service says it has arrested 10 people who were preparing terrorist attacks in Moscow and St. Petersburg and who had contacts with the Islamic State group.

The statement from the Federal Security Service was reported by Russian news agencies on Saturday.

“The Russian Federal Security Service with support from the Interior Ministry and cooperation with foreign partners from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan has stopped activities of an inter-regional terrorist group, which united citizens of Central Asian countries, who plotted a series of sabotage-terrorist attacks in Moscow and St. Petersburg, using automatic guns and self-made high-power explosives.”

The terrorists planned attacks “with the purpose of killing civilians in crowded places.”

“As a result of the operative-search and investigatory actions, ten terrorists were detained on November 12 in Moscow and St. Petersburg,” FSB said. “They had four self-made high-power explosives, which were confiscated.”

“The detained are confessing contacts with leaders of the Islamic State terrorist organization, outlawed in Russia, in the Middle East region, targeted facilities, as well as allies and the supportive base both inside the Russian Federation and abroad.”