Turkey Aided in Preventing Second Terror Attack in Moscow After ‘Crocus’ Incident, Reports Say

Turkey's intelligence services warned their Russian counterparts and helped prevent a second terror attack in Moscow following the assault on the ‘Crocus City Hall’ shopping center. This was reported by the government-affiliated Hürriyet newspaper.

“After the first attack on the concert hall, the terrorist group planned a second attack. They were preparing to strike a crowded shopping center. The Turkish intelligence has prevented this second major terrorist act by establishing contact with Moscow,” wrote the newspaper’s commentator.

According to the publication, the attack was prepared by militants from the banned ‘Vilayat Khurasan’ group in Russia, which is linked to the Islamic State terrorist organization. Hurriyet notes that Turkish intelligence had been monitoring the activities of a local cell of ‘Vilayat Khurasan’, which is responsible for the attack on the St. Mary Catholic Church in Istanbul at the end of January.

The intelligence services identified several individuals, interrogated them, and subsequently established contact with the Russian side. The publication recalls that the two individuals who carried out the attack on the shopping center had been in Turkey shortly before the act, which was also communicated to the Russian law enforcement agencies.

The attack at the 'Crocus City Hall' shopping center near Moscow occurred on March 22. As of the latest reports, 144 people have died and 551 have been injured. Four of the immediate perpetrators have been arrested, and another five are believed to be accomplices, according to the investigation. The Russian Investigative Committee previously stated that they had proven the attackers' connection to Ukrainian nationalists. Investigation data indicate that the terrorists' preparatory activities, funding, the attack, and their escape were coordinated via the internet by members of the ‘Vilayat Khurasan’ group.