Russia arrests minor after US tip-off on terror plot targeting Moscow

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a minor suspected of planning a terrorist attack at a popular museum and park complex in Moscow, following a tip-off from the United States about an imminent mass-casualty threat.The FSB said on Sunday that it had received information from US counterparts through established partner channels about preparations for an attack at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in southern Moscow. The security agency said the information had prompted it to take appropriate measures and that a suspect had subsequently been detained.According to Russian news agency Interfax, the minor had posted photographs on TikTok showing himself wearing tactical clothing and a balaclava while holding an object resembling an automatic weapon. He had also shared photographs taken at the Tsaritsyno estate with the caption: "I found a place."Searches of the suspect's home reportedly led investigators to recover the clothing and accessories seen in the social media posts. His mobile phone also contained a subscription to a neo-Nazi channel on Telegram, along with what the FSB described as "a significant number of searches concerning terrorist attacks, mass killings and other acts of violence".Russia's Investigative Committee is considering further legal and procedural action against the minor, the FSB said.The detention came a day after the US Embassy in Moscow issued an urgent security alert, warning of a "credible threat of a mass casualty event" at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve on October 31. The embassy said the US government was coordinating with Russian authorities over the response and advised American citizens to avoid the location and large crowds.The warning triggered a security operation at the historic estate, with Russian authorities temporarily closing the complex and evacuating visitors and staff. The site was shut on Saturday, with officials initially citing "technical reasons".Security personnel were deployed around the former imperial estate as emergency measures were put in place. Musician Lilia Pechenkina, who was performing at the reserve when the alert was triggered, said evacuation sirens sounded over the public address system as she was finishing her performance.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.