MOSCOW, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Russian security authorities said on Monday that they have thwarted a terrorist attack in Moscow targeting a senior Russian Defense Ministry official.
According to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), four suspects have been detained in connection with the planned attack, including one Central Asian national identified as the direct perpetrator and three Russian citizens accused of helping conceal the plot.
The attack, allegedly organized by Ukrainian special services in cooperation with leaders of the Islamic State, targeted a densely populated area of the Russian capital, the FSB said in a statement.
Specialists estimated that the explosive device prepared by the suspects could have caused a lethal blast radius of up to 70 meters.
A criminal case has been opened under several articles of the Russian Criminal Code, including the preparation of a terrorist act and illegal handling of explosives. ■
