MOSCOW: Russia has arrested four teenagers on suspicion of planning a “terror” attack on the city of Yekaterinburg, Russian state news agencies reported on Saturday (Jan 4).
The four, born between 2007 and 2008, allegedly planned to detonate homemade explosive devices in busy areas of the city for an unspecified “terrorist” cause, the agencies reported, citing Russia’s FSB security services.
Two of the suspects were also accused of setting a police car on fire, they added.
A video published by the state TASS news agency purported to show one of the suspects confessing to setting the police car alight after subscribing to “neo-Nazi channels on Telegram”.
“I read in the same channels it is necessary to commit acts against the police,” the person said.
Russia has seen domestic security – already fragile – deteriorate in recent years, as the Kremlin channels resources into arresting those suspected of collaborating with Ukraine.
The country has been affected, since its Ukraine offensive began, by a wave of arson incidents that it blames on Kyiv, as well as fatal attacks by suspected militant groups.
