In the March 22 attack, the deadliest inside Russia in 20 years, four gunmen opened fire on concertgoers, then set fire to the building. At least 144 people died in the attack.
In early March, the US Embassy in Moscow issued a warning about the possibility of such an attack, “possibly targeting large gatherings, including concerts”. Putin dismissed Western warnings, claiming Ukraine was connected to the Moscow attack. Kiev has vehemently and repeatedly denied this hypothesis.
According to Reuters sources, Iran also warned Moscow about the risk of a terrorist attack on its territory.
“A few days before the attack in Russia, Tehran shared with Moscow information about a possible major terrorist attack inside Russia, information that was obtained during interrogations of those arrested in connection with the deadly attacks in Iran,” a source told Reuters. .
Iran’s intelligence ministry said in January it had arrested 35 people in connection with twin bombings on January 3 in the southeastern city of Kerman that killed nearly 100 people.
On January 19, the ministry said it had arrested a commander of the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISIS-K), a regional branch of the Islamic State terrorist group based in Afghanistan.
“Major Operation”
Another source told Reuters that the information Tehran provided to Moscow about an imminent attack also did not include details on the exact date or the intended target.
“They (ISIS-K members) were instructed to prepare for a significant operation in Russia. One of the terrorists (arrested in Iran) said some of the group’s members had already traveled to Russia,” the second source told Reuters.
The third source, a senior security official, said that, “as Iran has been a victim of terrorist attacks for years, the Iranian authorities fulfilled their obligation to alert Moscow based on information obtained by to those arrested terrorists”.
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