Russia Says It Foiled A Major Terrorist Attack In Moscow

FSB operation taking place in a small town of Orekhovo-Zuevo in Moscow region as Russia’s special services managed to foil a terror attack planned in the capital. (image from http://oz-on.ru)

FSB Prevents Terror Act In Moscow By Militants Trained In Afghanistan, Pakistan -- RT

Russia’s FSB has foiled a terror attack in Moscow as they managed to kill two and detain one of the militants planning it, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said.

"Our forceful actions prevented an attempted act of terror in the capital," the National Anti-Terror Committee said in a statement.

“According to some information, the militants were under surveillance during the past month,” a source from one of the intelligence agencies told RIA Novosti.

The three men are “Russian citizens, arrived from Afghani-Pakistani region, where they have been trained,” the committee said. All three are said to practice Islam.

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More News On Russia Saying It Foiled A Major Terrorist Attack In Moscow

Police Kill 2 Militant Suspects in Shootout Near Moscow -- RIA Novosti
Russian Security Service Says It Foiled a Terrorist Attack in Moscow -- Atlantic Wire
Moscow Terror Plot Foiled After 2 Militants Killed, Russia Says -- Bloomberg
'Terrorist attack' in Moscow prevented -- BBC
Moscow 'Terror Attack Foiled After Shootout' -- SKY News
Russian counter terrorism agents foil alleged terrorist attack -- Digital Journal
Russian cops ambush Taliban-trained terrorists in Moscow -- Examiner

A New Terrorist Battleground In Russia?

Volga Federal District. Wikipedia

A New Terrorist Battleground -- Sergey Markedonov, National Interest

For the past two decades, Russian and Western experts, human-rights activists and journalists have become accustomed to the political violence of the North Caucasus. No matter how sad it is to receive news of new terrorist bombings or sabotage acts from Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya, these acts are perceived as somehow inherent to the region. But a recent tragedy in the Volga region suggests that this sort of violence—and the Islamist terrorists that practice it—may not be confined to the Caucasus.

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My Comment: This is one of those Russian nightmare scenarios .... what happens if Muslim radicalism ascends in this part of Russia.

Moderate Muslim Clerics Attacked in Russia's Tatarstan

Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov (left) visits Mufti Ildus Faiz in hospital after the cleric's car was rocked by powerful bomb blasts on July 19. Radio Free Europe

Prominent Russian Muslims Targeted In Attacks -- Washington Post

MOSCOW — Assassins on Thursday attacked Russia’s two most prominent Muslim opponents of religious extremism, killing one, in a move that stoked fears the nation’s long, violent struggle against Islamic radicals may be spreading.

Both men were targeted in Kazan, a serene, prosperous city on the Volga River that is the capital of Tatarstan, Russia’s traditional Muslim heartland. Valiulla Yakupov, a deputy mufti, was killed and Ildus Faizov, Tatarstan’s chief mufti, was hospitalized.

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More News On Prominent Russian Muslims Targeted For Attacks By Radical Islamists

Attacks target Muslim leaders in Russia's Tatarstan -- Reuters
Two Muslim Officials Attacked in Southern Russia -- New York Times
Muslim Clerics Attacked in Russia's Tatarstan -- Voice of America
Top Muslim cleric shot dead in Russian province of Tatarstan; another wounded in car bomb -- Washington Post/AP
Muslim cleric shot dead in Russia's Tatarstan -- Bloomberg/AP
Russian Muslim leader injured in car bomb and deputy shot dead -- The Telegraph
Tatarstan Spiritual Leader Injured in Car Blast -- RIA Novosti
Tatarstan Attacks Spark Fears That Islamist Threat is Spreading -- Radio Free Europe

Russia Says It Has Foiled An Olympic Terror Plot In Sochi

Chechen Rebels 'Plotted To Attack' Sochi 2014 Olympics -- BBC

Russian security forces say they have foiled a plot by Chechen rebels to attack the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The National Anti-Terrorism Committee said arms, including anti-aircraft missiles, found in nearby Abkhazia were to have been used to attack the games.

The plan was masterminded by Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov, the committee said in a statement.

It also said Georgia's security services had cooperated in the plot.

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More News On Russian Reports That An Olympic Terror Plot In Sochi Has Been Foiled

FSB Claims Foiled Sochi Olympics Terrorist Plot -- RIA Novosti
FSB 'Foils Terrorist Plot' on Sochi Olympics -- Moscow Times
Three terrorist chieftains arrested in Abkhazia -- Voice of Russia
Georgia ‘helped terrorists get weapons’ to attack Russia -- RT
Russia’s secret service says it foiled terrorist plans in Sochi, the 2014 Winter Olympics host -- Washington Post/AP
Russia foils 2014 Sochi Games attack plot: official -- AFP
Russia Says It Foiled Sochi Olympics Terror Plot -- ABC News
Russia foils 2014 Winter Olympics terror plot, state media reports -- CNN

My Comment: I use to vacation at Sochi .... and yes .... it is a gorgeous place and an ideal place for the 2014 Winter Olympics (if they get the snow). Unfortunately .... the Caucasus is also one of the most unstable regions in the world.

Russia Foils A Terror Plot To Blow Up The Moscow To St Petersburg Commuter Train

Express train Sapsan. © RIA Novosti. Ruslan Krivobok

Russia Arrests Four Men 'Plotting Train Bomb' -- RIA Novosti

Russian security forces have arrested four men on suspicion of plotting to derail an express train between Moscow and St. Petersburg.



The four men were detained last month, Kommersant business daily reported. A security service source said that the men had been detained after a tip-off from an agent embeded with the group.



They were planning to bomb the Sapsan, an express train that runs between the two cities with higher than average ticket prices, as it ran through the countryside near Khimki, a town on the edge of Moscow.



They had been under constant surveillance of the Federal Security Service (FSB).



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More News On Russia Foiling A Terror Plot To Blow Up The Moscow To St Petersburg Commuter Train

Russia foils plot to blow up Moscow to St Petersburg commuter train -- The Telegraph

4 accused of plot to bomb Russian train -- UPI

Russia foils train terror attack -- Sydney Morning Herald

Russia Foils Terror Attack on Train -- Arutz Sheva



My Comment: When I am in Russia, this is a train that I take all the time. Therefore .... it is not a comforting thought to know that terror groups in Russia are still focused on soft targets like this one.

Russia's Growing Insurgency In The Caucasus

Insurgency In Russia's Caucasus A Growing Threat -- Washington Post

MAKHACHKALA, Russia -- A police officer stopped at a traffic light in Dagestan's capital is gunned down from an adjacent car. A driver blows himself up at a checkpoint. The mayor has survived 15 assassination attempts.

Attacks on authorities take place almost daily in Dagestan, the largest and most violent of Russia's mostly Muslim provinces in the North Caucasus, a breeding ground for terror spreading all the way to Moscow.

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My Comment: Russians are now resigned to the idea that this conflict will last for years .... if not decades. And like the West's war against Islamic extremist organizations like Al Qaeda .... we have no choice but to be in it for the long haul.

Arrests Made In Moscow Airport Bombing

3 Arrested in Russian Airport Bombing -- Voice of America

Russian officials say three people have been arrested in connection with the suicide bombing that killed 36 people at Moscow's Domodedovo airport last month.

Police have identified the suspected bomber as Magomed Yevloyev, 20. Officials say Magomed's sister, 16, and his brother Akhmed, 15, were arrested in Ingushetia this week along with a 23-year-old acquaintance of their brother.

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More News On Russia's Moscow Airport Terror Attack

Three arrested in connection with Moscow bomb: media -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Moscow airport bomber named, his siblings arrested -- Yahoo News/AP
Suspects identified in airport bombing -- UPI
Police identify seven suspects behind Domodedovo bombing -- RIA Novosti
Police arrest teenage siblings of suspected Domodedovo bomber - paper -- RIA Novosti
Chechen-Born Rebel Claims Responsibility for Moscow Airport Bombing -- FOX News
Security shake-up follows Moscow bombing -- Washington Times
Moscow airport bombing shows serious flaws in Russian intelligence - source -- RIA Novosti
Russia's Most Wanted Terrorist Hones His Message -- Time Magazine
Factbox: Doku Umarov and North Caucasus rebellion -- Reuters

Chechen Militant Leader Claims Responsibility For Moscow Airport Bombing

'2011 Is The Year Of Blood And Tears': Dressed In A Skull Cap And Camouflage, Chechen Rebel claims His Terror Cell Bombed Moscow Airport -- The Daily Mail

A website affiliated with Chechen rebels has released a video in which an insurgent leader claims responsibility for last month's deadly suicide bombing at Russia's largest airport.

Doku Umarov also threatens more bloodshed if Russia does not leave the region.

The Kavkaz Centre website said it received the video late yesterday. It was not clear when or where the video was recorded.

The January 24 attack at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport killed 36 people.

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More News On Chechen Rebel Leader Doku Umarov

Moscow Airport Bombing: Chechen Militant Claims Credit -- ABC News
Chechen militant says he ordered Russia bombing -- BBC
Islamist rebel says he ordered Russian airport bombing -- MSNBC/Reuters
Chechen claims responsibility for attack on Russian airport -- CNN
Russian Islamist leader claims responsibility for Moscow airport attack -- The Guardian
Chechen terrorist issues stark video warning to Russians -- Christian Science Monitor
Chechen terrorist chief promises 'year of blood and tears' -- Foreign Policy
Russian intelligence officials fired over Moscow airport bomb -- RIA Novosti
Russian Security Officials Dismissed Over Airport Bombing -- Voice of America
Russia's Muslim south is hideout for robust insurgency -- Washington Post
Factbox: Doku Umarov and North Caucasus rebellion -- Reuters

Chechen Rebel Leader Threatens A Year Of "Blood And Tears" In Russia

Photo: Separatist leader Doku Umarov fought in both wars against Russia. BBC photo

Chechen Rebel Threatens Russia With More Attacks -- Yahoo News/Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov has said his forces will carry out more attacks and that Russia faces a year of "blood and tears" if it refuses to abandon its North Caucasus territories.

In an Internet video posted on the Islamist website www.kavkazcenter.com, the bearded Umarov, dressed in a cap and military fatigues, said "a brother" was being sent to Moscow to carry out an unspecified special operation.

This appeared to be the young man standing at his left.

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Update #1: Russian rebel leader vows year of 'blood and tears' -- Yahoo News/AFP
Update #2: Profile: Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov -- BBC

My Comment: Russians are now warned .... expect more attacks against soft targets by Islamic suicide bombers.

Russia's Own Home Grown Terrorism Problem

Vitaly Razdobudko is suspected of being one of the bloody attack's main organisers Photo: REUTERS

Moscow Airport Bombing: Why A Terrorist Mastermind Is Sending Chills Down Spines -- The Telegraph

When a man wearing a black baseball cap blew himself and 35 others up at Russia's busiest airport last Monday ordinary Russians were sure it was the work of Islamist terrorists.

The evidence suggests they were right - but a photograph of the man suspected of masterminding the deadliest attack on an airport anywhere in the world has nonetheless shocked the nation.

Staring out from the front pages of their newspapers this weekend is not the usual dark-skinned, heavily-bearded Islamist terrorist they have come to expect and fear but an ethnic Russian who looks like millions of Russians' brothers, sons or husbands.

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My Comment: This is a problem that we in the West are not only too familiar with .... but also aware that this development will be a growing problem for years to come.

Russia 'Identifies' Domodedovo Airport Bomber

Russian Police Identify Airport Bomber -- CNN

(CNN) -- The man who detonated a bomb at Domodedovo Airport in Moscow on Monday, killing 35 people, was a 20-year-old from the North Caucasus, the Russian Investigative Committee said Saturday.

The agency did not name the man and no further information about the investigation was immediately available.

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More News On The Person Who Bombed Moscow's Main International Airport

Russia identifies airport bomber as Caucasus man -- AP
Russia 'identifies' Domodedovo airport bomber suspect -- BBC
Russia says Moscow airport bomber from N. Caucasus -- Reuters
Moscow airport bomber 'targeted foreigners': Russia -- AFP
Moscow airport attack targeted foreigners - investigators -- RIA Novosti

My Comment: I cannot say that I am surprised.

Bombing At Moscow's Domodedovo Airport -- News Roundup January 28, 2011

The Moscow Airport Attack: Were Early Clues Ignored? -- Time Magazine

On Dec. 31, a powerful bomb exploded in a seedy motel room on the outskirts of Moscow, not far from Domodedovo airport. Nobody took much notice. Most people were busy celebrating New Year's Eve. Besides, the only person killed that night was a middle-aged Chechen woman, with a tight headscarf and a thick accent, whom the motel's staff describe as dowdy and cold. She had three associates who vanished. But is it possible that those missing accomplices may have then regrouped to build a much bigger bomb, detonating it on Jan. 24 in the arrivals hall of the Domodedovo and killing 35 people? If so, that New Year's explosion would seem like a premonition, one that the police may have failed to fully grasp.

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More News On The Terror Attack Against Moscow's Busiest Airport

UPDATE: Reports on Moscow blast suspect false - police source -- RIA Novosti
Airport Attack Suspect Sought -- Moscow Times
Russian Official Blames Regional Islamic Rebels for Moscow Airport Bombing -- Voice of America
Russians name Muslim convert as prime suspect for airport bombing -- The Independent
Islamist Suspect Sought Over Moscow Airport Attack -- RTT News
Ethnic Russian is named as suspect in airport bombing -- Irish Times

Happy New Year text prematurely blows up suicide bomber -- The Register
Would-Be Suicide Bomber Killed by Unexpected SMS From Mobile Carrier -- Threat Level

Russian experts comment on Domodedovo blast -- Voice of Russia
Bombing in Russia highlights discrimination faced by those from Caucasus -- L.A. Times
Moscow Style Attack Possible in United States -- Discovery News
Why Russia can't stop terrorists -- Washington Post editorial
Analysis: Airport bomb may aggravate Russian ethnic tensions -- Reuters
Moscow bombing prompts scrutiny of airport security worldwide -- Christian Science Monitor

Suicide Bombers Trained In Pakistan Responsible For Moscow Airport Bomb Attack

Moscow Airport Bomb: Suicide Bombers Were Part Of Squad Trained In Pakistan -- The Telegraph

The two suicide bombers who carried out the Moscow attack were thought to be part of a suicide squad trained in Pakistan's al-Qaeda strongholds sent to the capital to target the city's transport system.

Russian security services warned in December that there were two attack teams primed to carry out attacks, sparking fears there could still be terrorists at large who were prepared to carry out another attack.

Intelligence sources said that one of the squads was likely to have established a base, at a house in Moscow, where the suicide belts to be used in attacks were assembled.

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Update: Informants had warned of plan to attack a Moscow airport -- Sydney Morning Herald

My Comment: If these reports are true, it indicates a massive intelligence failure on the part of the Russians.