US Warned Russia About Attack on Crocus, The Washington Post Reports

The United States transmitted information to Russia over two weeks before the March 22 attack, warning that the "Crocus City Hall" concert venue could become a potential target for terrorists, according to The Washington Post, citing sources among American officials.

According to the newspaper’s interlocutors, Washington relayed the data to Moscow one day before the public announcement about the possible terrorist threat in the Russian capital (including at concert venues) issued by the U.S. Embassy in Russia. One of the sources indicated that the U.S. also warned about a potential attack on a synagogue in Moscow.

The FSB reported that it had uncovered a cell of the banned terrorist organization Islamic State, whose members had planned an attack on a synagogue in the capital. Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the National Security Council, confirmed after the terrorist incident at Crocus that Washington had shared information with Moscow about possible attacks.

On March 28, an article appeared in The New York Times where sources indicated that the U.S. had been closely monitoring ISIS activities in recent months, receiving “quite specific information about preparations for an attack in Moscow” from informants, wiretaps, and other sources. The publication noted that the U.S. might not have transmitted all the data for fear of revealing its sources and methods of intelligence.

On April 2, the head of the external intelligence service, Sergey Narishkin, stated that the FSB had received a warning from U.S. authorities about a possible terrorist act, but the information was not specific. “The information was too general and did not allow us to identify those involved in this horrific crime,” he said.

FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov stated on March 26 that Russia received “general information regarding the preparation of a terrorist act in mass gathering places from the U.S.,” clarifying that this did not pertain to the concert of the “Picnic” group, before which the terrorists had stormed Crocus. The data had been received in early March and had not been confirmed, said Bortnikov. He did not rule out that American special services could be involved in the attack. Bortnikov also accused Ukrainian special services of aiding the terrorists.