On 13–14 December 2017, Russian security authorities arrested seven members of an ISIL terrorist cell during a police operation in St. Petersburg. The suspects were alleged to have plotted suicide bombings in St. Petersburg on the weekend of 16–17 December 2017, with the Kazan Cathedral among the targets.[1] Both the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) were involved in the operation.
| 2017 St. Petersburg raid | |
|---|---|
| Part of the aftermath of the Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War | |
| Type | Police raid |
| Target | Kazan Cathedral and other St. Petersburg landmarks |
| Date | 13–14 December 2017 |
| Outcome | 7 arrested |
Background
editRussia has become one of the main targets of jihadists since it began a military campaign against various Islamist groups in Syria.[citation needed] In October 2015, an airplane with Russian tourists was blown up over Egypt on its way to St. Petersburg. In August 2016, two men with firearms and axes attacked a police station on the Shchelkovskoye highway near Moscow. In April 2017, a suicide bomber blew himself up in a car at the St. Petersburg metro. In August 2017, a single terrorist organized a series of attacks, including mass killings and arson, in the center of Surgut.[2]
Three days earlier the FSB had arrested three suspected members of a similar group in Moscow, where they were allegedly plotting attacks during the New Year holidays and the upcoming presidential campaign.[citation needed]
Raids
editAccording to a statement, a "large number of explosives used to make homemade bombs, automatic rifles, munitions and extremist literature" were seized during a police operation on 13 and 14 December. Seven people were arrested.[3] During the operation, the officers also destroyed a laboratory that the suspects had reportedly used to manufacture explosive devices.
The FSB issued a video of one of the detainees being questioned. "I was supposed to make the explosives and... pack them into bottles with projectiles attached" he said.[1]
Reactions
edit- Russian President Vladimir Putin officially thanked US President Donald Trump and the head of the CIA for helping prevent a potential terror attack on St. Petersburg.[4]
- White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed on 17 December that Trump had spoken to Putin.[5]
- Trump spoke to CIA Director Mike Pompeo "to congratulate him, his very talented people, and the entire intelligence community on a job well done!"[6] Representing new US national security strategy, Trump said that "many people, perhaps in the thousands, could have been killed" in this attack. In turn, Pompeo described the event as an example of a positive partnership between Russia and the United States.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Islamic State Suicide Bombing Foiled in St. Petersburg, FSB Says". 15 December 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ "Russian FSB Says Terror Plot Foiled". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ ""Islamic State" Terrorist Cell in St Petersburg is Destroyed – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency". Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ "Trump Putin call: CIA helped stop Russia terror attack". BBC News. 17 December 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ "Putin thanks Trump for CIA tip on terrorist attacks, Kremlin and White House say". USA Today. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ "Putin Thanks Trump For CIA Tip He Says Stopped Bomb Plot". 17 December 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
- ^ "Remarks by President Trump on the Administration's National Security Strategy". White House. Retrieved 2 January 2018 – via National Archives.