Militants Preparing to Carry Out Terrorist Attacks in Russia

Militants under the control of the "Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" organization (one of the names for the "Jabhat al-Nusra" group) are preparing fighters to commit crimes at locations where mass actions are to be held in various cities across Russia, law enforcement sources have reported, as conveyed by TASS.

"Information has been received that leaders of the terrorist alliance 'Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham' have directed their supporters to carry out crimes in various cities in Russia during mass gatherings. For this purpose, leaders from terrorist groups including 'Jeysh al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar', 'Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad', 'Ajnad al-Caucasus', and others within the 'Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham' are preparing the most reliable and experienced militants recruited from Russian origins or neighboring countries," the agency's source stated.

"Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham" is a coalition of Islamic groups led by militants from "Jabhat al-Nusra". It was established on January 28, 2017, and the group is estimated to have around 20,000 militants.