The White House National Security Council reminded that the United States Embassy in Russia had warned the nation of a potential terrorist attack a month before ISIS-K gunmen unleashed hell at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow.
Knewz.com has learned that the terror attack on Friday, March 22, has claimed a death toll of at least 115 and counting, while over 180 individuals have been injured.
The warning issued by the U.S. embassy in Russia earlier in March said that “extremist groups” were planning on carrying out a terror attack in Moscow, potentially targeting large gatherings, including concerts.
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a statement on March 7, saying that it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours.”
In a message posted on its website, the embassy stated at the time: “The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and US citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours.”
It also urged citizens to avoid crowds, monitor local media for updates, and be aware of their surroundings. The embassy provided no further details.
According to NDTV, the Joe Biden administration “shared this information with Russian authorities in accordance with its longstanding ‘duty to warn’ policy,” in which U.S. authorities warn nations “when it receives intelligence of specific threats to kidnap or kill multiple victims.”
Following the tragic terror attack in Moscow on Friday, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson reminded that “earlier this month, the U.S. government had information about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow — potentially targeting large gatherings, including concerts.”
However, CNN reported that the warnings from the embassy were met with skepticism from the Russian administration, as President Vladimir Putin said in a recent speech that the warnings were “provocative” and “resemble outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilize our society.”
The statement from the embassy came right after Russian authorities claimed to have thwarted a terrorist plot reportedly targeting a Moscow synagogue. The Federal Security Service of Russia said in a statement that an Islamic State terror cell was behind the alleged plot.
“Active search measures established that they were militants of an international terrorist organization preparing an attack on the congregation of a synagogue with the use of firearms… During an operation to detain them, the terrorists put up armed resistance to Russian FSB [Federal Security Service] staff and as a result were neutralized by return fire,” the Federal Security Service said in their statement, according to Newsweek.
The Russian state-run RIA-Novosti news agency said that the Russian authorities had thwarted several terror attacks reportedly attempted by ISIS in March alone, according to CNN.
“On March 3, RIA reported that six ISIS members were killed in a counter-terrorist operation in the Ingush Karabulak; on March 7, it said security services had uncovered and “neutralized” a cell of the banned organization Vilayat Khorasan in the Kaluga region, whose members were planning an attack on a synagogue in Moscow; and on March 20, it said the commander of an ISIS combat group had been detained,” CNN reported.
It is worth noting that the warnings from the U.S. embassy prompted several other countries to issue similar statements to their citizens based in Russia.
The British Embassy in Moscow advised United Kingdom nationals to avoid “all travel to Russia” altogether. The German Foreign Ministry shared the sentiment, as it issued a statement “strongly” discouraging travel to the nation, adding that “German citizens and German-Russian dual nationals are also at risk of arbitrary arrest.”
“German-Russian dual nationals must note that the Russian authorities view them exclusively as Russian citizens. This also applies in the event of a possible conscription into the Russian armed forces. The embassy cannot provide them with consular protection,” the statement from the German Foreign Ministry further read.
Citing the information shared by the U.S. Embassy, the Foreign Ministry of Latvia also called on its citizens to be careful and avoid mass gatherings in Moscow for 48 hours in an official statement.
“Taking into account the tense international security situation, as well as the unpredictable internal political development in Russia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs repeatedly calls on Latvian nationals not to travel to Russia, and those who are in the country to leave it as soon as possible,” the statement read.
“We urge Latvian citizens who are in Russia to be cautious and avoid mass gatherings, because, referring to the information provided by the US Embassy in Moscow, terrorist acts are possible in Moscow within the next 48 hours. Opportunities to provide consular assistance to Latvian nationals in Russia are limited,” the Foreign Ministry further said.
The post US Had Already Warned Russia of Potential Terrorist Strike A Month Before Moscow Attack, Says White House appeared first on Knewz.
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Author: Samyarup Chowdhury
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