Russia’s security agency, the FSB, announced on Sunday that Russian authorities had arrested a suspect who was planning a terrorist attack on a major museum in Moscow following a tip-off from the United States.
The FSB said that information shared by U.S. law enforcement with Russia led to the arrest of the minor Russian national. The agency said, “We would like to thank the U.S. side for providing the information.”
The arrests came after the U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a red alert on Saturday, warning that it was “aware of a credible threat of mass casualty” in Moscow’s Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve.
When CNN contacted the museum after the warning was issued, it said it was not aware of the warning. However, Russian state media said several events scheduled to be held at the venue were subsequently canceled and safety measures were put in place.
According to the FSB, the unnamed suspect was detained after posting an image of himself on TikTok wearing tactical clothing and an “object resembling an automatic weapon” and sharing a photo taken in the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve with the caption “Found the location.”
The FSB said the boy subscribed to a neo-Nazi channel on Telegram and made “a significant number of search queries regarding past terrorist acts, mass murders and other acts of violence.” An airsoft gun was reportedly found at the suspect’s home.
It is not unusual for the United States to share safety warnings with other countries. The State Department has a long-standing “duty to warn” policy, requiring it to inform the U.S. expatriate community of any threats.
In an alert issued Saturday, the U.S. government said it was “coordinating with appropriate authorities in Russia on the response.”
However, Russia did not always take U.S. warnings gratefully. In March 2024, during the Biden administration, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow warned that ISIS fighters were determined to target Russia and said there were “imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow,” particularly concerts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the warning as a provocation. Days later, assailants stormed the Crocus City Hall venue in Moscow, killing more than 140 people. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
When the United States warned the Russian government about a planned terrorist attack on Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg in 2017, during the first term of US President Donald Trump, Putin’s reaction was different. Putin personally thanked Trump for the information and said it was enough to locate and detain the suspect, according to a Kremlin statement.
The warning and the FSB’s public statement thanking the United States come amid increased scrutiny of the Trump administration’s ties to Russia.
President Trump has made significant concessions to Russia on sanctions in recent weeks, drawing criticism from both sides of the aisle in Washington and driving a wedge between the United States and its Western allies.
