A U.S. intelligence official revealed that American intelligence agencies acquainted Russian officials with the information that a cell of ISIS based in Afghanistan was planning an attack in Moscow.
What Really Happened?
But the informations were dismissed by Russia’s President Putin who described them as ‘provocative’, and called it ‘an attempt to intimidate Russians’.
According to U.S. official, the information was privately shared under the Duty to Warn requirement – an intelligence community requirement to notify US and non-US groups of potential impending threats as recently as three days before the attack yesterday.
The deadly attack left more than 100 injured and set fire to the Crocus City Hall venue in the Russian capital.
The ISIS Attack
Earlier in March, the US embassy in Moscow also issued a security alert, per DailyMail.
Details of The Warning
The alert reportedly warned about a potential terror attack in Moscow and urging people to avoid crowds and be aware of their surroundings.
‘The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,’ the March 7 security alert stated.
Concerts were specifically mentioned as a potential target in the US security alert.
It is not clear what prompted the warning or whether it was related to Friday night’s attack.
