Russia’s FSB prevents planned attacks on security forces in Kabardino-Balkaria

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), together with the Interior Ministry and the National Guard, has detained eight members of a terrorist cell in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) who were allegedly preparing armed attacks on law enforcement officers to seize weapons.

“The illegal activities of eight members of a clandestine cell of an international terrorist organisation banned in Russia, operating in the Baksan district of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, have been thwarted,” the FSB’s Public Relations Center said.

According to the FSB, members of the group had sworn allegiance to an emissary of the terrorist organisation and were preparing attacks on administrative buildings of law enforcement agencies in Kabardino-Balkaria in order to obtain weapons and subsequently go into hiding.

“The leader and members of the terrorist cell have been detained. During searches at their places of residence and in a specially equipped cache, authorities seized: 10 units of rifled and smoothbore firearms, 500 rounds of ammunition, 5 kilograms of gunpowder, 12 improvised incendiary devices and components for their manufacture, 18 knives, three Motorola radio stations, medicines, equipment for living in mountainous and forested areas, and food supplies,” the FSB’s Public Relations Center added.

The investigative unit of the FSB directorate for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic has opened criminal cases under Part 1 of Article 30 and Part 2 of Article 205 (preparation for a terrorist attack), as well as Parts 1 and 2 of Article 205.5 (organisation of activities of a terrorist organisation and participation in its activities) of the Russian Criminal Code. The charges carry penalties of up to life imprisonment.

By Jeyhun Aghazada