“Some time before the attack in Russia, Tehran shared with Moscow information about a possible major terrorist attack in Russia, which was obtained from the interrogation of people detained in connection with the deadly bombings in Iran,” one source said.
Iran arrested 35 people in January, including one commander of the Afghanistan-based Islamic State in Khorasan province, linked to the bombings in Kerman.
And the United States had warned Russia about a possible terrorist attack, but the Kremlin downplayed the warnings. There are reports that extremists are planning to target large gatherings of people in Moscow, as well as concerts in Moscow, the US Embassy warned in early March.
About two weeks later, the deadliest attack in Russia in 20 years took place in Moscow, when gunmen killed more than 140 people at the Crocus City Hall concert hall. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Islamic State of Khorasan Province, an offshoot of the IV movement, one of whose commanders was arrested by Iran in January.
Iran and Russia have begun to cooperate more closely since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. It is more difficult for Moscow to reject information from its ally Iran about the attack, which also raises questions about the effectiveness of Russian security institutions, than it is for the United States.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the aforementioned information, said on Monday that no warnings about the attack had been received from Iran. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet commented on the information.
