Police engaged in an operation against militants in Dagestan prevented a major terrorist attack in Moscow, Deputy Interior Minister Andrei Novikov told a Thursday press conference in Makhachkala.
“A man was preparing to perpetrate a terrorist act in Moscow and we managed to stop him. About 150 accomplices, including policemen, civilians and clerics, were detained,” he said.
Three suspected militants were killed in this house raid in Dagestan earlier today. Two other suspects escaped and two police officers were wounded. (AP)
A large weapons cache was discovered in Dagestan earlier this week:
In the Tsumadin District, Dagestan Interior Ministry officers discovered a large weapons cache belonging to militants.
“The cache consisted of 123 122mm artillery shells and 130 detonators,” the spokesman said. “The stockpile was destroyed by military specialists.”
An explosive device, with power equivalent to 10 kg of TNT, was found on the Makhachkala-Krasnoarmeysk highway 100 meters from a bridge. “If the criminals had managed to activate this, there would have been more casualties,” he said.
The radio-controlled, homemade explosive device consisted of a 10-liter metal bucket stuffed with a mixture of aluminum powder, ammonium nitrate, and pieces of metal, sealed with polyurethane foam and resin, with wires leading out of it.
And, police arrested the suspected train bomber this week in Dagestan. The attack killed one female passenger. Explosives similar to the ones used in the attack were found in the attacker’s home.
