MOSCOW — Russia’s Federal Security Service, or F.S.B., said it thwarted a planned terrorist attack near a police station in Moscow, allegedly organized by members of Daesh’s Khorasan branch, according to reports from Russian state media.
The suspects had purchased a vehicle and equipped it with propane gas cylinders while constructing an improvised explosive device, the F.S.B. said in a statement cited by the Tass news agency.
“When apprehended, the suspects resisted arrest and were neutralized by return fire,” the F.S.B. said. It described the individuals as members of “Wilayat Khorasan,” a branch of the Islamic State group operating in Afghanistan.
The agency said the group, consisting of individuals from Central Asia, was planning to target an office of Russia’s Interior Ministry in Moscow. Security forces became suspicious of the group while they were surveilling the proposed target, the F.S.B. added.
Authorities have opened an investigation, and a search of the suspects’ residence uncovered ammunition and components for making explosives, the F.S.B. said.
The incident underscores the security concerns that Russia and neighboring Central Asian nations have raised in the wake of the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan. The United Nations and other international watchdogs have reported the presence of more than 20 terrorist groups in Afghanistan, including Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The F.S.B. has not disclosed the identities of the suspects or provided further details about the planned attack, and the investigation is ongoing.
