FSB Foils Planned May 9 Assault by Female Suspect Linked to Terrorism in Dagestan

On Friday, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) reported the arrest of a woman who allegedly intended to carry out a bombing targeting law enforcement during the Victory Day celebrations in Dagestan, a republic in the North Caucasus.

The 28-year-old detainee is noted to be a «supporter of an international terrorist organization that is prohibited in Russia,» although the FSB did not specify which group it refers to.

During searches conducted at her residence, authorities reportedly uncovered explosive materials and electronic devices that contained communication with an individual linked to the terrorist organization.

The suspect was said to be plotting to activate an improvised explosive device in the Khasavyurtovsky district of Dagestan, which borders Chechnya to the west.

The state news agency TASS released footage of the woman seemingly admitting that she was instructed by someone named «Abdullah,» whom she met in an «Islamic group» on the Telegram app, to take photographs of buildings and acquire explosive materials.

«I was either supposed to plant [the explosive device] or detonate myself,» she claimed.

She stated that she had been directed to carry out the attack on May 9, coinciding with Russia’s nationwide observances of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

It has not been possible to independently verify the FSB’s assertions, and it remains uncertain if the woman was speaking under any kind of pressure.

The FSB did not indicate whether formal charges had been filed against the detainee.

The agency routinely announces that it has prevented various terrorist attack attempts.

In the early 2000s, female suicide bombers known as «black widows» were responsible for numerous bombings in Russian cities as well as attacks on trains and planes, all connected to an Islamic insurgency that emerged in Dagestan and the broader North Caucasus region following two wars fought by Moscow against separatists in Chechnya.