«The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists plan to target large gatherings in Moscow, including concerts, and US citizens are advised to avoid large events over the next 48 hours. Actions to take: Avoid crowds. Follow local media for updates. Pay attention to your surroundings.”
The note of March 7
A terse note dated March 7th from the American Embassy in Moscow had somehow anticipated the attack on March 22nd, i.e. 15 days later, at the Crocus concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow.
The American diplomatic alert identified “concert halls” as possible targets, a prediction that turned out to be well founded. The only “mistake” concerns the timing, because the note from the American embassy launched the alert in the following 48 hours while the attack took place 15 days later.
The alert after the attack foiled by Russian services
The warning was issued hours after the FSB, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said it had foiled an attack on a Moscow synagogue by a cell of the Sunni Muslim militant group Islamic State.
The reference to extremists left open numerous possibilities regarding the perpetrators of the massacre. However, a few hours after the massacre, ISIS, the terrorist organization responsible for several attacks in Europe and the Middle East, claimed responsibility via Telegram.
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2024-03-23 23:25:08