US Alerted Russia about Impending ISIS Attack

The US had warned Moscow about ISIS militants planning to target Russia. President Vladimir Putin, however, dismissed the advice as "provocative."

Gunmen attacked the Crocus City Hall near Moscow on Friday, firing weapons and using an incendiary device. This was the deadliest terrorist attack the Russian capital had seen in decades.

Isis has admitted to carrying out the attack.

According to experts, the extent of the devastation, which was partially shown in a video obtained by CNN depicting people hiding behind seats as gunshots rang out in the large hall, will be a source of great embarrassment for the Russian leader. Just a week prior, he had emphasized the importance of national security during the carefully orchestrated election campaign.

Russian intelligence services were unable to stop the attack, and Putin ignored warnings from the United States about extremists planning to target Moscow.

The US embassy in Russia had alerted about potential attacks on large gatherings in Moscow, such as concerts, earlier this month. They advised US citizens to steer clear of these places.

The US government shared information with Russian authorities as part of its 'duty to warn' policy, according to US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.

In a speech on Tuesday, Putin criticized the American warnings, calling them "provocative" and accusing the US of using blackmail tactics to intimidate and destabilize Russian society.

Despite several ISIS-related incidents reported by Russian authorities in the past month, the government maintained its stance.

On March 3, state-run RIA Novosti disclosed that six ISIS members were killed in a counter-terrorist operation in the Ingush Karabulak. Following this, on March 7, security services revealed the discovery and neutralization of a cell belonging to the banned organization Vilayat Khorasan in the Kaluga region. The members of this cell were planning an attack on a synagogue in Moscow. Lastly, on March 20, it was reported that the commander of an ISIS combat group had been apprehended.

According to two sources familiar with American intelligence, there has been consistent information since November indicating that ISIS-K, an affiliate of ISIS operating in Afghanistan and the surrounding area, has been planning to launch an attack on Russia.

Moscow has significantly involved itself in the civil war in Syria, supporting President Bashar al-Assad and fighting against ISIS.

According to Michael Kugelman from the Wilson Center in Washington, ISIS-K believes that Russia is involved in actions that often harm Muslims. He also mentioned that the group includes fighters from Central Asia who have their own issues with Moscow.

On Friday, a US official stated that Washington had no reason to doubt ISIS' claim of responsibility for the recent attack at Crocus City Hall. Following the reports of this attack, the US embassy issued a warning advising American citizens against traveling to Russia.

Editor's P/S:

The article highlights the ongoing tension between the US and Russia and the complex nature of international security. Despite warnings from the US about potential terrorist threats, Russia initially dismissed them as "provocative." This disregard, coupled with intelligence failures, led to a deadly attack in Moscow, leaving