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Russian authorities have arrested a minor in connection with an alleged terror threat against the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in Moscow, according to Russian media.
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The US embassy in Russia had issued a security alert on Saturday warning of a “credible threat of a mass casualty event” at the site.
According to the embassy, Washington was coordinating a response with Russian authorities.
While it did not provide specific details, the embassy advised people to “avoid the area, stay alert, and avoid crowds.”
Russian state media published a statement from the Federal Security Service (FSB) on Sunday announcing that a minor had been detained in relation to the threat.
“As a result of the operation, a minor Russian citizen was detained; he had posted photographs of himself on the short-video platform TikTok wearing tactical clothing, a balaclava, a cap, sunglasses, headphones and an object resembling an automatic weapon, as well as photographs taken at the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve, captioned: ‘I found a place,'” it said.
On Saturday evening, the grounds of the Tsaritsyno museum and park were closed “for technical reasons” and visitors were evacuated. It reopened as usual on 1 November, per Russian media reports.
The German embassy in Russia also reportedly issued a warning about a possible security threat at the museum reserve.
In March 2024, the US embassy in Russia issued a similar alert about a threat a few days before a terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow. The attack took place on 22 March and left more than 150 people dead and hundreds injured.
In the days leading up to the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin described warnings from “a number of official Western bodies regarding the possibility of terrorist attacks in Russia” as “provocative.” At the time, he stated that “this amounts to outright blackmail” and “an attempt to destabilise society.”
