The Russian Federal Security Service announced today the arrest of an individual linked to the terrorist organization Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham in the Republic of Bashkiria, Russia.
According to the TASS news agency, the service stated in a report: "Russian security forces managed to arrest a Russian citizen born in 1995, who belonged to the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham organization (banned in Russia) and was preparing to carry out an armed attack on security officers in the Republic of Bashkiria." The agency added that firearms and components for an improvised explosive device were found in the suspect's stash, and communications on his devices revealed that he was receiving instructions from followers of the terrorist organization abroad. The accused admitted to planning a terrorist attack, responding to a security officer’s question: "In this place, I was supposed to bring a weapon and an explosive device to blow up people."
Last month, the Federal Security Service arrested four ISIS terrorists in the Republic of Dagestan, thwarting a plan to carry out a terrorist bombing in front of a security agency building in the capital, Makhachkala. Security agencies in various cities and regions of Russia, including the North Caucasus region, are engaged in a war against local extremist and terrorist groups linked to ISIS and other terrorist organizations that seek to turn several areas in Russia into unstable hubs and recruit Russian citizens for terrorist organizations abroad.
