MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- The head of Russia's FSB security service Nikolai Patrushev said Friday that more than 80 suicide attackers had been trained on foreign soil to carry out attacks on Russia.
"We have established there are more than 80 suicide attackers trained abroad who are to be sent to Russia to carry out terrorist acts," Patrushev told Russia's State Duma lower house of parliament. Some of the attackers had been "rendered harmless," he added.
"We don't know what route they might take to get into Russia, and this creates definite problems."
Suicide bombers have killed scores of people in Russia in recent years. In August twin explosions on two passenger planes killed more than 90 people, and another suicide bomber killed nine people outside a metro station in Moscow a few days later.
Rebels have also carried out seemingly suicidal missions to take large numbers of hostages, including last month's seizure of a school with more than 1,200 hostages in Beslan. More than 330 hostages died at in the siege, half of them children.
Patrushev, who gave no indication how the FSB gathered the information on the potential attackers, said Russia needed better measures to prevent terrorism and called for legislative changes.
"In order to confidently say that there won't be any terrorist acts, a whole system of measures needs to work well," he said. "In our country at the moment such a system has not yet been created."
Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov said confiscation of finances could be one deterrent for would-be suicide bombers.
"We are proposing to confiscate property and money, which has both directly and indirectly been used by terrorists," Interfax quoted him as saying.
Patrushev accused governments of Middle Eastern countries of supporting suicide bombers in the North Caucasus -- the region in southern Russian which includes Chechnya, where Moscow has been fighting separatists for the past decade.
"The preparation of rebels and suicide bombers in the North Caucasus is being carried out through secret military-religious organisations with the direct support of the governments of several Near and Middle Eastern countries, and also through a series of religious organisations in these countries," RIA Novosti news agency quoted him as saying.
At the same meeting, Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev said his departments had prevented a string of attacks over the past year.
"More than 200 terrorist acts have been prevented ... Many of these crimes were aimed at killing hundreds of people and bringing about the gravest consequences," Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.
Well, the US State Department has issued warnings to Americans traveling to Russia.
Russia Hardest Hit by Terrorism — U.S. Official
Created: 29.10.2004 11:44 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 11:45 MSK, 13 hours 9 minutes ago
MosNews
Russia has been hit by terrorism harder than any other country in recent years, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage quoted by Reuters said.
“In recent years no country has suffered as much from the scourge of terrorism as the Russian Federation,” he told the head of Russian Security Council Igor Ivanov. Armitage, however, did not elaborate how he calculated that Russia had suffered more than any other country, the agency mentioned.
A U.S. embassy spokesman in Moscow quoted by the agency said it was likely to be a personal opinion.
Armitage’s remark came a day after the State Department issued a warning to Americans visiting or living in Russia that “there remains a heightened potential for terrorist actions, including attacks against civilians”. In extending its warning through March 2005, the State Department said that Russia’s security situation “is likely to continue for some time” and that Americans should take precautions to avoid becoming a random victim of another attack
Well, is IS a lot closer to the middle east. Definatly closer to Chechnya. With all that land bordering to it.
I'll bet there is a lot more of this than we think going on, only Russia is downplaying or covering up state security action, because of excessive brutality, common sence limiting of enemy intell, and the general tight lips that the Russians are so famous for. (roadmaps being state secrets until very recently!)
The state security doesn't have to impress the public as much to fight for funding, so they prefer mysteriously effective to showy. The ones getting the classified reports are the ones in charge of money.
I wonder just how many successful blasts have been covered up.
Simply by not giving the successful suicide bombers any press lowers their effectivness. (on changing public policy, not killing)
Is Putin dictator yet? (in effect, not name!)
Was this a crude PR trick? (any elections in Russia soon?)
Help us out here fgalkin! (unless you are lost too)
You are, I believe, the most qualified board member to give insights about the political nuances of Russia.
Hmmmmmm.
"It is happening now, It has happened before, It will surely happen again."
Oldest member of SD.net, not most mature.
Brotherhood of the Monkey
I am not sure if this is true, or merely a scare tactic by Putin. it may be true, if the number includes averted terrorsit acts in Chechnya.
Is Putin a dictator. Pretty much yes. He controls the media, the oligarchs, and now, with the passing of his bill, he gets to appoint his people to local positions of power. Which, is labeled as anantiterrorism law, so its very much possible the number is pure BS..
