Russia’s FSB thwarts coordinated terror attacks targeting Jewish communities, arresting three suspects linked to foreign extremist networks.
In a chilling reminder of the global surge in antisemitic terror, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the arrest of three suspects who were planning to attack Jewish institutions in the Krasnoyarsk and Stavropol regions, including a synagogue in Siberia.
According to the FSB, two Central Asian nationals were captured in Krasnoyarsk as they prepared to detonate an explosive device inside the local synagogue. A search of their hideout uncovered materials for manufacturing explosives and detailed plans for the attack.
Simultaneously, in Pyatigorsk, in southern Russia’s Stavropol region, a Russian citizen was arrested for plotting to throw Molotov cocktails at the local Jewish community center. Security forces discovered a cache of Molotov cocktails, knives, and weapons during the raid.
The FSB said the suspects intended to disguise their attacks as “acts of solidarity” with Palestinians affected by the Gaza conflict, but in reality were working to incite domestic unrest and spread antisemitic violence across Russia.
“These individuals were supporters of an international terrorist organization outlawed in Russia,” the FSB said in a statement. “Their aim was to destabilize internal security under the pretext of pro-Palestinian activism.”
During interrogation, all three suspects confessed to planning attacks specifically targeting Jewish houses of worship, with the goal of sparking fear within Russia’s Jewish community. The security service released video documentation showing the arrests and the seized explosives.
The thwarted plots highlight the dangerous fusion of global jihadist ideology and antisemitic propaganda spreading under the banner of “solidarity with Gaza.” Intelligence officials across Europe and the Middle East have warned that such rhetoric has become a rallying cry for lone-wolf terrorists inspired by Hamas and its affiliates.
Jewish organizations in Russia praised the FSB’s swift action, noting that synagogues across Europe and Eurasia remain under heightened security alerts as antisemitic attacks have surged since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel, which left 1,200 Israelis dead and over 250 kidnapped.
“Every attempt to harm Jewish life—whether in Jerusalem, Moscow, or Paris—is part of the same hatred,” said one community leader in Moscow. “We are grateful that the authorities stopped this plot before it could become another tragedy.”
The FSB’s successful counterterrorism operation underscores a broader truth: antisemitic terror knows no borders, but neither does Jewish resilience.
