Russia's FSB detains foreign national over planned mall bombing in Stavropol

Russia's Federal Security Service said a native of a Central Asian country had sworn allegiance to the leader of an international terrorist organization and planned to travel to Syria after the attack. A criminal case has been opened over an attempted terrorist act.

Russia's Federal Security Service reported the detention in Stavropol of a native of a Central Asian country who, the agency said, was planning to detonate an improvised explosive device at one of the city's shopping centers.

According to the FSB statement, the detainee is a member of an international terrorist organization banned in Russia. “The suspect swore allegiance to the leader of the terrorist organization and, as proof of his oath, intended to detonate an improvised explosive device at one of the city's shopping centers,” the agency said.

The security service said the man had reconnoitered the area, studied the times when the largest crowds gathered, selected a location to plant the explosives and obtained components for making them. After the attack, he planned to travel to Syria and join the terrorists.

Footage released by the FSB shows security officers detaining a young man on the street and taking him to a building, followed by images of items seized from the rented apartment. In an interrogation recording, the detainee says he met a “brother” living in Syria on social media. He says the man asked him to film a shopping center in Stavropol, buy items for the attack and visit the shopping center again, where he was detained.

A criminal case has been opened

The Investigative Department of the FSB Directorate for Stavropol Krai opened a criminal case under the article concerning an attempted terrorist act. The agency said explosive components and communications devices containing instructions from a handler were kept at the apartment rented by the detainee.

Items seized from the detainee's rented apartment, FSB footage

This is not the first similar case in the region. This week, the Southern District Military Court sentenced Almir Aktuganov to 23 years in prison. Investigators said he had been preparing attacks on the buildings of the mayor's office, city council and administration of Stavropol's Oktyabrsky District using improvised incendiary devices, AiF-Stavropol reported.

Video and footage: Public Relations Center of Russia's FSB

Russia's FSB detains foreign national over planned mall bombing in Stavropol