After Crocus City Hall

Moscow terror: Turkey prevented second attack

(Bild: APA/AFP/OLGA MALTSEVA)

Following the devastating terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert hall near Moscow last March, which left 144 people dead, the Turkish secret service has now revealed previously unknown details.

Several terrorists break into the hip complex during a concert by the group Piknik and open fire. A fire breaks out in the audience area and the building begins to collapse. Many people die, including young children. These are scenes that will probably never be forgotten in Russia.

Almost three months later, new information comes to light: the Turkish secret service may have thwarted another attack in the Russian capital by the IS offshoot Islamic State Khorasan Province, which is also responsible for the Crocus tragedy.

Islamic State Khorasan Province

• Founded: Early 2015
• Strongholds: Nangarhar, Kunar (eastern Afghanistan)
• Leader: Sanaullah Ghafari (Shahab al-Muhajir)
• Number of men: 4000 to 6000
• Rivals with: Al-Qaeda, Afghan and Pakistani Taliban, Tajik Jamaat Ansarullah and Islamic Turkestan Party
• Methods: Ambushes, military attacks, targeted killings and bombings

Shopping center targeted
The target was supposed to be a crowded shopping center, writes the Turkish daily newspaper "Hurriyet". The Turkish secret service had contacted those responsible in Moscow. The paper was informed of this by members of the service itself, it says.

However, the medium did not provide any further details. It is also pointed out that the Turkish secret services have been monitoring the activities of the IS offshoot for some time. After the attack on the Santa Maria church in Istanbul in January 2024, several people were interrogated. Contact had also been made with the Russian side.

A total of twelve people arrested
After the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall, the terrorists attempted to flee in a car. However, they were arrested in the Bryansk region, as reported by the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB. Other people were later arrested who were thought to be accomplices of the attackers. The IS offshoot Khorasan Province claimed responsibility for the cold-blooded attack.