Russian security forces have thwarted acts of terror planned by the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in Moscow.
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) disclosed on Friday that Daesh had planned to launch a series of attacks on high-profile targets in an area of the capital, Moscow, where the 2018 World Cup is due to take place from June 14 to July 15.
The domestic security service said in a statement it had dismantled a four-member sleeper cell behind the planned attack. It said the terrorist cell, which originally came from Siberia, was taking orders from an individual in Syria via the Telegram messenger service.
The FSB added in its statement that 20 people were detained in a related special operation in the town of Novy Urengoy, around 2,300 kilometers northeast of Moscow.
The FSB did not provide further details on the exact dates and locations that the attacks were to be carried out.
Russian security forces, which have increased security measures to hold a safe FIFA World Cup this summer, said earlier this month that the agency's personnel had foiled several other terrorist attacks of the same nature.