Summary The suspect is a citizen of a Central Asian country and had allegedly pledged allegiance to the leader of the banned terrorist organisation
MOSCOW (Dunya News) - Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has foiled an alleged terrorist plot to bomb a shopping mall in the southern city of Stavropol, arresting a suspected member of an international terrorist organisation banned in Russia.
According to the FSB's Public Relations Centre, the suspect is a citizen of an unidentified Central Asian country and had allegedly pledged allegiance to the leader of the banned terrorist organisation.
The security agency said the suspect was planning to plant an improvised explosive device (IED) inside a shopping mall in Stavropol and detonate it to fulfil his pledge to the group's leadership.
According to the FSB, the suspect had conducted reconnaissance of the shopping mall and its surrounding area, monitored the movement of visitors and selected a specific location to plant the explosive device.
The agency further alleged that the suspect planned to travel to Syria after carrying out the attack and join the terrorist organisation there.
FSB officers tracked the suspect's activities and arrested him before he could execute the alleged plot.
During a search of his residence, security personnel seized components intended for assembling an explosive device, along with communication equipment containing messages and instructions from an alleged handler.
The FSB also released a video of the suspect's recorded confession, in which he admitted planning an attack in Stavropol and maintaining contact with an individual abroad.
In the video, the suspect said he had been instructed to travel to Stavropol, visit the shopping mall, record footage of the premises and purchase materials needed for the planned attack.
He claimed to have followed the instructions before being arrested during a subsequent visit to the mall.
