FSB foils 'Kiev-orchestrated' chemical attack on Russian defense staff
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The FSB has reported that the suspect, a Russian national, accessed hazardous chemicals from a location set up by Ukrainian special services.
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People walk by the main building of the Russian Federal Security Service, former KGB headquarters, in Lubyanka Square in Moscow, Russia, on January 27, 2015. (AP)
Russian authorities have detained a suspect accused of planning a chemical weapon attack on employees of a defense sector company in Yaroslavl province, reportedly under orders from Kiev. The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the arrest, describing the alleged plot as a terrorist act orchestrated by Ukrainian special services.
According to the FSB, the suspect, a Russian national, “retrieved two containers of hazardous chemicals from a hideout made available by Ukrainian special services" to carry out the attack.
These substances were reportedly capable of causing fatal respiratory burns.
The suspect reportedly planned to introduce the toxic substances into the air hoses of vehicles used by the company’s employees, aiming to cause significant harm.
The agency stated that “the terrorist’s activities were coordinated from Ukrainian territory through foreign instant messaging applications,” citing evidence found on the suspect’s confiscated devices.
This incident is part of a broader trend, with Russian security forces reportedly foiling multiple toxic substance attacks over the past two years, allegedly organized by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU).
Russian FSB says foiled neo-Nazi terror plot, arrested four
Earlier this month, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the arrest of four teenagers accused of planning a terrorist attack in the city of Yekaterinburg. The suspects, born in 2007 and 2008, reportedly intended to use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in crowded areas, according to an official statement.
"The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation detained four Russian citizens, born in 2007 and 2008, who share the ideas of a terrorist organization banned in Russia and were planning to commit a terrorist act using an improvised explosive device in places where large numbers of citizens gather in the city of Yekaterinburg," the statement read.
Two of the individuals were also linked to the arson of a police vehicle belonging to the Sverdlovsk Region’s Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The FSB reported that components for an IED and communication devices with bomb-making instructions were found during the investigation.
Later, the FSB released footage showing two of the suspects confessing to their roles in the planned attack. One admitted being influenced by extremist content online.
"I subscribed to neo-Nazi channels on Telegram, and I read in those channels that it was necessary to take action against the police. While working as a delivery man, I once saw a police car parked at a car service station in one of the city districts, and I decided to set it on fire ... So we set it on fire, and I filmed it ... Then I thought of making explosives and testing them. I asked my friend to help me," he said.
The second suspect explained his involvement, stating his friend had asked him to make a timer, but did not say what for. "We came to his apartment, it was on January 1 or 2, and I made a timer for him and also helped him make explosives," he added.
The first suspect disclosed that he had selected targets for testing the explosives but was apprehended before he could carry out the plans.
