Tehran alerted Russia before Crocus City Hall terror attack after interrogating accused in Jan 3 Iran blasts: Report

Iran alerted Russia about a potential large-scale “terrorist operation” on Russian soil before the concert hall massacre near Moscow last month, according to a Reuters report, citing three sources familiar with the situation.

During the deadliest attack in Russia in two decades, gunmen armed with automatic weapons opened fire on concert attendees at Crocus City Hall on March 22, resulting in the deaths of at least 144 people. The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the violence.

“Days before the attack in Russia, Tehran shared information with Moscow about a possible big terrorist attack inside Russia that was acquired during interrogations of those arrested in connection with deadly bombings in Iran,” Reuters quoted a source as saying.

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The United States also provided a warning to Russia prior to the attack, indicating a probable militant Islamist assault. However, due to Moscow’s deep-seated distrust of Washington’s motives, this intelligence was downplayed.

Conversely, Russia finds it more challenging to disregard intelligence from its diplomatic ally Iran regarding the attack. This incident has prompted inquiries into the effectiveness of Russian security services. Despite being under Western sanctions, both Moscow and Tehran have strengthened military and other forms of cooperation, particularly during the ongoing two-year conflict in Ukraine.

Iran arrested 35 people in January, including a commander of Islamic State’s Afghanistan-based branch ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), who it said were linked to twin bombings on 3 January in the city of Kerman that killed nearly 100 people.

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Islamic State claimed responsibility for the Iran blasts, the bloodiest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. US intelligence sources said ISIS-K had carried out both the 3 January attacks in Iran and the March 22 shootings in Moscow.

Islamic State once occupied large swathes of Iraq and Syria, imposing a reign of terror and inspiring lone wolf attacks in Western countries, but was declared territorially defeated in 2017.

However ISIS-K, one of its most fearsome branches, has raised the group’s profile again with large-scale bloodshed.

ISIS-K, named after an old term for a region that encompassed parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, emerged in eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 and quickly established a reputation for extreme brutality.

Significant operation

A second source, who also requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the information Tehran provided to Moscow about an impending attack had lacked specific details regarding timing and the exact target.

“They (the members of ISIS-K) were instructed to prepare for a significant operation in Russia… One of the terrorists (arrested in Iran) said some members of the group had already travelled to Russia,” Reuters quoted the second source as saying.

A third source, a senior security official, said: “As Iran has been a victim of terror attacks for years, Iranian authorities fulfilled their obligation to alert Moscow based on information acquired from those arrested terrorists.”

Asked about the Reuters report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday: “I do not know anything about this.”

Iran’s foreign ministry did not reply to a request for comment on this story. The White House had no comment on the matter.

A source familiar with the U.S. intelligence on an impending attack in Russia said it was based on interceptions of “chatter” among ISIS-K militants.

Challenging the U.S. assertions, Russia has said it believes Ukraine was linked to the attack, without providing evidence. Kyiv has strongly denied the assertion.

Tajik nationals

The attacks in Kerman and near Moscow both involved Tajik nationals. ISIS-K has aggressively recruited from the impoverished former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, security experts say.

Sources said Iran had discussed its security concerns with Tajikistan. A diplomatic source in Tajikistan confirmed that Tehran had recently discussed with Dushanbe the issue of increased involvement of ethnic Tajiks in militant activities.

Islamic State harbours a virulent hatred for Shi’ites – Iran’s dominant sect and also the target of its affiliate’s attacks in Afghanistan. The hardline Sunni Muslim group views Shi’ites as apostates.

In 2022 Islamic State claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a Shi’ite shrine in Iran that killed 13 people. Tehran identified the attacker as a Tajik national.

Earlier attacks claimed by Islamic State include twin bombings in 2017 that targeted Iran’s parliament and the tomb of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

With inputs from agencies