"Special caution!"

Increased terror threat in Moscow, warns State Department

The USA has warned of an increased terror threat in Moscow. Extremists have set their sights on the Russian capital. Now the Austrian Foreign Office is following suit and warning Austrian citizens of the new danger situation.

Following other Western countries, the Austrian Foreign Ministry also warned of possible attacks in the Russian capital on Friday: "Based on widespread reports, an increased risk of terrorism can currently be assumed."

Austrian citizens staying in the greater Moscow area are therefore called upon to exercise particular caution and to avoid large gatherings of people, according to the Foreign Ministry's website.

Series of attacks planned?
The US embassy in Moscow had previously issued a warning to its own citizens on Thursday evening and wrote of reports that extremists were planning attacks on large gatherings of people in the Russian capital over the next 48 hours, i.e. until Saturday evening.

It was not clear which reports and extremists were being referred to. The Russian exile medium Meduza speculated on Friday morning about a connection with the dismantling of an Islamic State (IS) terrorist cell in Kaluga, Russia, announced by the FSB domestic intelligence service on March 7, which is said to have planned an attack on a Jewish institution in Moscow.

No official Russian comments on possible attacks were known on Friday evening.

Other states take their cue from the USA
With reference to the US embassy, other Western ministries and embassies also issued warnings - in addition to the Austrian, British and Latvian foreign ministries, the Czech embassy in Moscow did the same. However, the Foreign Office in Berlin refrained from updating its partial travel warning to Russia.