The New York Times has learned that the American secret services suppressed intelligence reports that the Islamic State was preparing to attack in Moscow. The failure of information sharing can be explained by the fact that the American intelligence services seriously feared that the Russians could learn data collection techniques from the United States.
As hírado.hu also reported, on March 22, four gunmen carried out a terrorist attack in a concert hall in the suburb of Krasnogorsk near Moscow, which was later set on fire. More than 140 people died in the attack, and it became known as the bloodiest terrorist attack in Russian history.
Following the attack, the Russian authorities arrested eleven people, including the four perpetrators. The extremist Islamist terrorist organization called the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, but according to reports from the Russian services, the perpetrators were trying to leave the country in the direction of Ukraine.
It should be remembered that the US Embassy in Russia published a warning on its website on March 7, calling on US citizens in the country to avoid public gatherings and mass events for 48 hours after the warning was issued. In addition, a warning was also sent to the Russian state bodies regarding the possible attack.
Alexander Bortnikov, the director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), himself previously indicated that they had received information from the United States about a possible terrorist attack, but at the same time he said that it was only a general warning from the American side.
"Of course we reacted to this information and took the necessary security measures"
- added Alexander Bortnikov.
On Thursday, The New York Times published a longer report in which it writes about
American secret services may have deliberately withheld from the Russians that the Islamic State was preparing to attack in Moscow. According to the newspaper, the American withholding of information can be explained by Washington's hostile attitude towards Moscow.
According to The New York Times, in connection with the American warning on March 7, the body of the Russian secret services responsible for internal countermeasures and counterterrorism, the FSB, issued a statement, according to which two persons of Kazakh origin were liquidated near Moscow, who in all likelihood
were preparing for attacks on synagogues and those radicalized by the Islamic State.
Furthermore, the Russian special services increased the level of security measures, primarily in the Moscow region. The American embassy drew attention to the acute threat of terrorism in the 48 hours following the issuance of the warning, but the newspaper notes at the same time:
"It is not clear whether US intelligence merely overlooked the timing of the attack, or whether the terrorists deliberately changed the exact time of the attack to a later date in view of heightened security precautions. "
In addition, The New York Times adds,
another possible explanation for the obstruction of information sharing is that the Americans feared that the Russians could learn intelligence techniques from the Americans.
If the reports of the leading American newspaper are true, a number of questions may arise regarding the circumstances of the attack, including whether the American special services could have violated their basic principles regarding their obligation to provide information, which is also cited by the newspaper, according to which any affected party must be fully informed. if they experience a terrorist threat or other national security risk.
Source: Hirado.hu / The New York Times
Front page photo: A woman pays her respects to the victims of the terrorist attack in Krasnogorsk in front of the building of the Russian National Library in Saint Petersburg on March 25, 2024.
On March 22, four gunmen broke into the concert hall of the Crocus City Hall cultural and business center in Krasnogorsk near Moscow and opened fire on the audience and started arson. 137 people, including three children, lost their lives and 182 were injured. MTI/EPA/Anatoly Maltsev
