Moscow saved from transport terror attack

Russia’s federal security service FSB has detained four members of the outlawed terrorist organization ISIS in Moscow for plotting terrorist attacks at transport facilities.

The FSB’s public relations center said that on May 25 four members of a terrorist group were detained in Moscow. Some were Russian citizens and others, citizens of Central Asian countries. They were making preparations for blowing up makeshift explosive devices at Moscow’s transport facilities.

The ISIS-linked group was guided from Syrian territory, the FSB press office said.

"After an act of sabotage the terrorists planned to leave for Syria for joining the ISIS in its combat operations," TASS cited the statement as saying.

The secret services have also uncovered an explosives laboratory during searches at the living places of the ISIS members.

"During the searches at the detainees’ living places, the operatives uncovered a laboratory for making explosives, an improvised explosive with striking elements ready for use and components for its production, and also automatic firearms, ammunition, grenades, literature and video records of extremist and terrorist nature," the press office added.

The President of the National Strategy Institute, Mikhail Remizov, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that now there is a high level of terrorism both in Europe and Russia. "Fortunately, information on prevented terrorist attacks in Russia is much more prevalent than reports of terrorist attacks, which were carried out. It is also noteworthy that people from Central Asia are also playing an increasingly important role in the statistics of terrorist attacks and in the statistics of prevented terrorist attacks," he pointed out.

"Apparently, the North Caucasus underground has largely left the country, moreover, it is better known to our special services, while the Central Asian terrorist asset is known to a much lesser extent," Mikhail Remizov stressed.

It is necessary to fight the new underground using the same methods as with the previous one, taking into account impulses of the time. "The Russian special services demonstrate a sufficiently high efficiency in terms of operational work, including those related to deep-cover agents. But operational methods cannot solved the problem of spreading extremist ideology: our state policy is completely ineffective in reducing the nutrient environment of terrorists. There should be different priorities for domestic and foreign policy," he suggested.

"Inside the country, it is necessary to promote the elements of the modernization project in the Caucasus. There should be good institutions, starting from high school with a high status of teachers of Russian language, to the judicial and law enforcement system. While these institutions have low authority, the Russian secular project in the Caucasus is losing," Mikhail Remizov drew attention.

"As for foreign policy, the smaller the migration flow is, the less danger of the emergence of an anti-system environment that hates the society in which it lives in the long term is," the president of the National Strategy Institute concluded.