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IN BRIEF: What is known about thwarted terrorist attack in Pyatigorsk

The attack was timed for the morning hours, aiming to inflict significant casualties among law enforcement personnel

© Russian Federal Security Service/TASS

MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. The Federal Security Service (FSB) has successfully thwarted a planned terrorist attack in the Stavropol Territory. According to the FSB Public Relations Center (PRC), authorities uncovered a plot to detonate an explosive device near a security agency facility in Pyatigorsk, involving a German citizen.

Key Details

- The thwarted attack was orchestrated by the Kiev regime targeting a law enforcement installation.

- Using advanced electronic warfare equipment, FSB officers detected and intercepted an explosive device concealed in a backpack carried by a German national born in 1969. Upon detention and inspection, experts confirmed the device contained approximately 1.5 kg of TNT-equivalent explosive and was armed with shrapnel, designed to cause maximum harm.

- A second suspect, a citizen of a Central Asian country born in 1997, was identified as a supporter of radical ideology. He was intended to remotely detonate the bomb, with the female carrier expected to die instantly upon activation.

- The attack was timed for the morning hours, aiming to inflict significant casualties among law enforcement personnel.

Foreign recruitment and ideology

The FSB stated that Kiev actively recruits foreigners, including individuals from EU countries, to carry out terrorist activities within Russia. The German suspect was being used as an unwitting suicide bomber.

Investigation and confessions

- The detained individuals have confessed to their involvement.

- They revealed that the weapons and explosives were sourced from caches supposedly planted by Ukrainian intelligence services.

- A criminal case has been initiated under Part 3 of Article 30 and Part 2 of Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code, pertaining to attempted terrorist activity.

- Additionally, an Islamist detained in Pyatigorsk, who was intended to remotely activate the bomb, has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (banned in Russia), as confirmed by a video released by the FSB.

The thwarted plot underscores ongoing threats and the importance of vigilant counter-terrorism efforts in the region.

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