U.S. Warned Russia Of Possible ISIS Attack in Moscow - State Dept
U.S. Warned Russia Of Possible ISIS Attack in Moscow - State Dept
The United States said on Monday that it had warned Russia early this month about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow “potentially targeting large gatherings, including concerts," as the State Department's spokesperson Matthew Miller put it.
Washington had passed on to the Russian side detailed information about a potential attack based on intelligence and surveillance data on ISIS-K — the terrorist group responsible for the assault on the concert hall in Moscow on Friday.
During his daily briefing on Monday, Miller responded to TURAN's questions on a denial by the Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov that Moscow received any warning.
"We gave them that private warning consistent with our duty to warn that we have when we see – or when we gather intelligence of terrorist attacks or potential terrorist attacks," Miller said.
The U.S. Embassy to Moscow on March 7 warned its citizens to avoid large gatherings in the city
In their turn, Russian leaders, including Vladimir Putin himself, had described the security warning as “provocative” and “outright blackmail” before the attack.
According to U.S. officials, over the last several years, the ISIS-K group has primarily focused its operations in places where it has a deep bench – countries such as Iran.
"You might recall that several months ago, we warned the Government of Iran about a potential terrorist attack by ISIS-K in Iran, one that ultimately, quite tragically, also came to be true," Miller reminded.
The spokesperson did not, however, speak to the specific channels through which Washington communicated with the Russians.
At least 137 people were killed in Moscow on Friday when gunmen struck the Crocus City Hall. The Kremlin on Monday blamed the deadliest attack on Islamist militants, while Vladimir Putin also tried to pin responsibility on Ukraine.
"There was no Ukrainian involvement – period," Miller told TURAN's correspondent.
"You’ve seen the Ukrainian Government make that clear... And of course, with respect to these statements the Russians have offered zero evidence, because there is no evidence of Ukrainian involvement," he concluded.
Politics
-
Ruslan Izzatli, a member of the Board of the Platform III Republic, deteriorated in the pre-trial detention center, his wife Gunel Manafli said. According to her, blood tests revealed an increase in sugar and cholesterol levels. The doctor said that if you do not start treatment, then blockage of blood vessels may occur. In addition, Izzatli has gallstones, which also poses threats, Manafly noted.
-
The Foreign Ministers of 12 EU countries addressed the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, as well as the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Policy, Olivér Varhelyi, in connection with the events in Georgia.
-
On May 13, the Khatai District Court of Baku, chaired by Sahiba Hajiyeva, completed the trial on the claim of the editor of the economic news department of the Turan agency Hafiz Babaly against the “Iki Sahil” newspaper. Unlike the proceedings in a similar lawsuit by Babaly against the site Qafqazinfo.az. The journalist himself was not present at the trial and he was connected via video link from the pre-trial detention center.
-
A manager of the demokratik.az site Osman Narimanoglu (Rzayev) has declared an indefinite hunger strike in the pre-trial detention center. He is protesting against the illegal arrest and the biased consideration of the appeal against the verdict. According to his wife, Arzu Rzayeva, Osman went on hunger strike on May 12 in the Ganja pre-trial detention center-2. Rzayeva said that her husband is a victim of slander by officials and has been unreasonably detained for 23 months, and the Ganja Court of Appeal has not conducted an objective investigation and has been delaying the investigation for a month now.
Leave a review