US Embassy: Terrorist warning issued to prevent loss of life
The US Embassy in Moscow commented on its warning about the threat of terrorist attacks in Moscow, issued on March 7. They explained that they published it in order to prevent the death of innocent people.
The US government has a long-standing “duty to warn” policy, which is used by all administrations to warn governments of potential deadly threats. We are providing these warnings because we do not want innocent people to die as a result of terrorist attacks.
The diplomatic mission noted that Washington maintains communication channels with Moscow to exchange important information on security issues, but did not specify details about their nature and functioning.
The embassy expressed words of condolences in connection with the terrorist attack in the Moscow region and stated that it was shocked by what happened.
On March 7, the US Embassy in Moscow issued warnings to its citizens in Russia, urging them to avoid public gatherings for the next 48 hours. In a statement, the diplomatic mission said that “extremists are soon planning” certain events in crowded places. Several other countries later issued similar warnings.
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The US considers ISIS to be involved in the Crocus attack
CNN, citing sources, reported that US intelligence warned the Russian side that the terrorist group “Islamic State” (IS, ISIS – banned in the Russian Federation) plans to carry out terrorist attacks in Russia.
According to American experts, information about the preparation of a terrorist attack has been received since November 2023. However, it is unknown whether they became the basis for the publication by the American Embassy in Moscow of a warning about the terrorist threat on March 7.
The New York Times and CBS News wrote that they had collected intelligence. They say that an affiliate of the Islamic State-Khorasan group, known as ISIS-K (banned in the Russian Federation)planned an attack on Moscow.
The White House said that the United States did not have information about the preparation of a terrorist attack in Moscow
John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, said that the United States did not have information about the preparation of a terrorist attack in Moscow.
I am not aware of what we knew in advance about this terrible attack.
In his opinion, the embassy’s warning was not related to the shooting at Crocus City Hall.
We currently don't know to what extent this warning and this attack are related. But we had some concerns about the possibility of a terrorist attack in and around Moscow earlier this month
Earlier, the White House said that the United States is aware of reports of shooting in Moscow. Kirby called the footage of the fire in Moscow horrifying.
In addition, Washington stated that Kyiv was not involved in the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall.
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The Foreign Ministry believes that the United States knew about the terrorist attack in Crocus in advance
Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador at Large Rodion Miroshnik believes that the United States knew about the terrorist attack in advance. He recalled that Washington pointed to “places where people gather” and “concerts.”
A cynical, prepared bloody terrorist attack. For some reason, the Americans knew about its preparation in advance, precisely pointing to “places where people gather” and “concerts.”
The diplomat also said that Russia will request a meeting of the UN Security Council in connection with the terrorist attack in the concert hall in order to “sort out all the cases and get the world majority, the largest international organization, to condemn these actions.”
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused Western intelligence agencies of being aware of a possible terrorist attack in Moscow and recalled that on March 7, the US Embassy urged its citizens not to visit shopping centers in the Russian capital.
Zakharova called on Washington to transfer data about the terrorist attack to Moscow, if any.
If Washington has reliable information on the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, it must be immediately transferred to the Russian side, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
The diplomat also noted that the US reaction to the incident raises questions.
We heard strange words that Washington sees no signs that Ukraine, or, as they put it, Ukrainians, are involved in the terrorist attack. On what basis do officials in Washington draw any conclusions about anyone's innocence in the midst of a tragedy is a question
In turn, the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Andrey Chernyak denied Kyiv’s involvement in the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall. A similar statement was made by Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky.
Putin previously called Western warnings about terrorist attacks provocations
On March 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Western warnings about terrorist attacks provocations. The Russian leader noted that the words of representatives of the intelligence services of Western countries resemble blackmail and attempts to intimidate the country's population.
Let me also remind you of the recent, frankly speaking, provocative statements by a number of official Western structures about the possibility of terrorist attacks in Russia. All this resembles outright blackmail and an intention to intimidate and destabilize our society
On the evening of March 22 in Moscow, before the concert of the Picnic group at Crocus City Hall, a shooting occurred and a fire started. According to eyewitnesses, it was opened with an automatic weapon, after which panic began among visitors.
The Moscow Region Ministry of Health published a list of 145 victims. Among them are seven children. The department clarified that among those hospitalized, nine people are in extremely serious condition. Most of the people taken to hospitals suffered from gunshot wounds, fractures, burns and poisoning from combustion products.
According to preliminary data, 60 people became victims of the incident. Later, the first information appeared about the terrorists who attacked Crocus City Hall.
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