The United States warned Russia that Crocus City Hall, the concert hall outside Moscow, was a potential target of an attack. Two weeks before the attack that caused over 140 deaths on March 22, the United States government alerted Russian officials to the imminent risk, according to the reconstruction of the Washington Post which refers to information provided by American sources. The nature of the reports, extremely precise, contradicts the Russian versions according to which the American alert was generic and therefore useless.
The background revealed by the Washington Post raises doubts about the countermeasures taken by the Russian authorities to ensure security. After the attack, Moscow repeatedly referred to the responsibility of Ukraine and the West for the action carried out by a commando of ISIS-K militants from Tajikistan.
Before the Washington Post article, the National Security Council had referred to the transmission of information “about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow”, without however expressly indicating the objective of the action.
Russia's reaction
A Kremlin spokesperson did not respond to questions from The Washington Post about the warning regarding Crocus City Hall. But on Tuesday, Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's foreign intelligence service, told reporters in Moscow that the information shared by the United States was “too general and did not allow us to fully identify those who committed this terrible crime.”
Naryshkin said that after information provided by American intelligence, Russia “took appropriate measures to prevent” an attack. The videos relating to the attack, however, highlight the absence of any contrast to the terrorists' action. Russian media reported immediately after the attack that specialized police units arrived only more than an hour after the shooting began and then waited more than 30 minutes before entering the building.
Because the US shared the information
The United States, experts highlight, shares information with other countries on possible terrorist attacks. It is unusual, however, for the dossiers to include precise indications in detail about potential targets. Such activity could compromise intelligence sources.
In the specific case of Crocus City Hall, however, the most suitable solution for the protection of American citizens present in Moscow was chosen. On the other hand, the American embassy in Russia on March 7 released a communication highlighting the risk of attacks linked to concerts and mass events. According to the Washington Post, the US warned Moscow about the danger of an attack on Crocus City Hall 24 hours before the embassy's message.
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