Turkish special services help Moscow thwart terrorist attack

Turkish special services warned their Russian counterparts and helped them foil another terrorist act in Moscow following the attack on the Crocus City Hall, according to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet.

"Following the first attack on the concert hall, the terrorist group planned to commit another act of terror as they were plotting to attack a crowded shopping mall. Turkish intelligence thwarted this second major terrorist attack by reaching out to Moscow," columnist Hande Firat wrote.

The attack was prepared by members of Wilayat Khorasan (outlawed in Russia). Turkish intelligence officers had long been tracking the activity of a local Wilayat Khorasan cell which they said was behind the attack on a Catholic church in Istanbul in late January, the newspaper said.

The special services contacted and interrogated a number of people before making contact with the Russian side.