Russian authorities said Thursday they had killed suspected members of a branch of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group during an operation in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, accusing them of having prepared an attack against a synagogue in the capital.
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The Russian security services (FSB) said they had
“
put an end to the activities of a cell
”
of the Islamic State-Khorasan (EI-K), a regional branch particularly active in Afghanistan, according to a press release relayed by Russian agencies.
According to the authorities, its members were
“
preparing an armed attack against the faithful of a synagogue
”
in Moscow.
“
During their arrest, the terrorists put up armed resistance to Russian FSB agents and were neutralized by return fire ,
”
the security services said.
Despite limited influence, several attacks recorded
The FSB said it had seized
"
firearms, ammunition, and components for making an improvised explosive device
.
"
On Sunday, Russian authorities had already announced that they had killed six suspected fighters from the IS group in Ingushetia (south), a small republic in the Caucasus with a Muslim majority.
Russia regularly announces that it has foiled plans to attack suspected Islamist cells.
ISIS's influence remains limited in the country although some attacks have occurred in recent years, particularly in the Muslim-majority Caucasus republics of Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan.
In April 2017, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack in which two police officers were killed in Astrakhan, a city located a few hundred kilometers from the Russian Caucasus republics.
Nearly 4,500 Russians, particularly from the Caucasus, fought alongside IS, according to official figures.