Russia on high alert as terrorist attack likely in Moscow today, UK and US warn

A terrorist attack could target Moscow in the next 24 hours, the British and American embassies in Russia have warned.

Last night’s ‘security alert’ from the US embassy said it was “monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts”.

The statement also said American citizens “should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours”.

It told US citizens in Moscow to “avoid crowds”, “monitor local media for updates” and “be aware of [their] surroundings”.

St Basil's Cathedral and Putin

The warning was repeated by the UK, which continues to advise against all travel to Russia for British citizens.

It is unclear which extremist groups were the subject of the warning, which did not divulge any details of the reported plans.

The alert was released on the same day as Russia reported FSB agents had thwarted a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Moscow by Islamic State terrorists.

Russian state-run media outlets said the militants involved in the planned attack had been killed.

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