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FSB detains three plotters of terrorist act against senior security official

According to the report, the detainees are a Ukrainian serviceman sent to Moscow by the Security Service of Ukraine, a Moldovan citizen, and a Russian citizen

© The Russian Federal Security Service/TASS

MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. Agents of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) detained three plotters of the prevented terrorist act against a high-ranking security official near a business center in Moscow on April 2.

The detainees are a Ukrainian serviceman sent to Moscow by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), a Moldovan citizen, and a Russian citizen, the FSB press office reported.

"As a result of a search for those involved in the foiled attack <…> were detained: a Ukrainian citizen born in 1980, a Moldovan citizen born in 1991, and a Russian citizen born in 2009," the press office stated.

The plotters of the terrorist act

"The Ukrainian citizen is a Ukrainian armed forces serviceman who fought against Russian forces in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Zaporozhye, and Sumy regions. In March of last year, he was recruited by the SBU and sent to Moscow to conduct reconnaissance and to carry out the assassination of a military serviceman," the press office stated.

On his handler's command, the Ukrainian citizen removed bomb components from a cache, assembled an improvised explosive device (IED) with shrapnel, placed it in an electric scooter's trunk, and delivered it to the location near a business center in Moscow for remote detonation.

The Moldovan detainee was recruited by Ukrainian special services in December of last year in Chisinau and sent to Moscow to scout the planned attack targets. On the day of the attack preparation, he rented a car, arrived at the business center, and organized a live broadcast to transmit the planned explosion's would-be aftermath to the adversary in real time.

The Russian citizen carried out video surveillance of the area for a monetary reward from the SBU, so that the adversary could determine the parking location for the electric scooter with the bomb (camouflaged as a power bank), and he forwarded that video to his handler during the period leading up to the terrorist act.

Search operations for individuals involved in preparing the specified terrorist act are continuing.

The IED held 1.5 kg of plastic explosive with shrapnel and was meant to be detonated remotely via a "smart home" Wi-Fi relay and a 4G modem. Similar tactics were used in the terrorist act that killed Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov and his Aide Major Ilya Polikarpov.

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