The Washington Post, citing unnamed American officials, asserts that two weeks prior to the terrorist attack, the US government informed Russian officials that “Crocus City Hall” was a potential target for terrorists.
The publication raises rhetorical questions as to why the Russian authorities did not take more stringent measures to protect the site where militants killed over 140 people and set the building on fire.
Islam Khalilov, a teenager who worked as a cloakroom attendant at the concert hall, helped evacuate people from the building that night.
In one interview, he mentioned that employees were warned about the possibility of a terrorist attack.
Another likely target for the terrorists was a synagogue in the Russian capital.
The day after the warning, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the prevention of an attack by militants of the “Islamic State” on a synagogue in Moscow.
The US National Security Council and the Kremlin declined to comment on the matter.
The US regularly shares information about potential terrorist attacks even with unfriendly countries, adhering to the principle of “duty to warn,” but does not disclose specific targets to avoid revealing the source of the information.
The fact that US intelligence agencies identified a specific attack location indicates the danger to American citizens, as noted by the WP.
According to sources, the information was passed to the FSB on March 6.
On March 7, the US Embassy in Moscow and a number of Western missions issued warnings to their citizens about possible terrorist attacks in places of mass gatherings in the Russian capital.
On March 19, Vladimir Putin, at a meeting of the FSB, referred to this warning as blackmail and provocation.
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