Teen arrested over Moscow museum terror plot after U.S. intelligence tip; Russia publicly thanks U.S.

[Financial News] A decisive intelligence tip from U.S. intelligence authorities enabled Russian intelligence agencies to thwart in advance a teenager’s plot to carry out a terrorist attack targeting a major museum in Moscow. The intelligence cooperation to prevent terrorism is drawing attention, despite deepening tensions between the two countries over the war in Ukraine and other issues.

According to foreign media outlets including CNN and AFP on the 1st, local time, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) said it had arrested a male Russian teenager suspected of planning a terrorist attack targeting the protected grounds of the Tsaritsyno Museum, a historic site in southern Moscow.
The arrest came a day after the U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a security alert in a statement on October 31, saying it was “aware of a credible threat at the Tsaritsyno Museum that could cause mass casualties.” After the embassy issued the alert, emergency security measures were put in place, including restricting access to the park and canceling events.
The FSB officially expressed its gratitude, saying it had been able to apprehend the suspect thanks to information shared by U.S. law enforcement authorities: “We thank the U.S. side for providing the information.”
Investigators found that the teenager had posted on TikTok a photo of himself wearing tactical clothing and a face covering and holding an object resembling an automatic firearm. He had also shared a photo taken in the museum’s protected area with the caption, “Found the place.” Records also showed that he subscribed to a neo-Nazi channel on Telegram and had conducted extensive searches related to terrorism and acts of violence.

This is not the first time the United States has provided Russia with intelligence about a terror threat and Russia has publicly expressed its thanks. In 2017, during Donald Trump’s presidency, the United States also informed Russia of a plot to attack Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg, prompting President Vladimir Putin to personally express his gratitude.
In contrast, when the United States warned of the possibility of an attack on a Moscow concert venue in March 2024, during the Biden administration (the Crocus City Hall attack, which killed around 140 people), President Putin dismissed the warning as a provocation and ignored it, and a major tragedy could not be prevented.
Foreign media outlets said the U.S. intelligence tip and the FSB’s unusual expression of thanks came amid strengthening ties between the two countries, including the Trump administration’s easing of sanctions on Russia. As Ukraine and European countries criticize moves such as the resumption of purchases of Russian diesel, the two countries’ intelligence agencies appear to be drawing closer through counterterrorism cooperation.
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter