Russian security forces have prevented six terrorist attacks this year, including two planned on election day in March, the head of the Federal Security Services (FSB) said Tuesday.
The FSB reported last year that it had thwarted a total of 18 terrorist acts in 2017, including on New Year’s Eve and on the first day of the school year.
“Six terrorist acts were prevented at the preparatory stage [in January-March],” the state-run TASS news agency cited FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov as saying Tuesday.
Speaking at the National Anti-Terrorism Committee session in Moscow, Bortnikov said two Islamic State attacks had been prevented in Russia’s Muslim-majority republic of Ingushetia and the southwestern region of Saratov in March.
In Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan, Bortnikov said two members of a “right-wing radical group” were detained plotting an election-day attack, while terrorists suspected of plotting an attack at a shopping mall were killed in Saratov.
The total body count of militants and their accomplices killed so far this year stood at 15, with 189 suspects detained and 12 terror cells disbanded.
Russia’s Dagestan, Khabarovsk and Sakhalin were targeted in three terrorist attacks, Bortnikov said.
Islamic State is a terrorist group banned in Russia.
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