A jihadist operative allegedly staged a bombing attempt against a senior Russian officer, security officials have said

Ukrainian intelligence services collaborated with the international terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in a plot to assassinate a senior Russian military official, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday.

According to the agency, the operation was masterminded by Uzbek national Saidakbar Gulomov, described as an IS member who is also suspected of orchestrating the December 2024 killings of Russian General Igor Kirillov and his assistant - crimes that Moscow attributed to Kiev.

The FSB alleged that Gulomov recruited a Central Asian national influenced by Islamist propaganda and instructed him to travel to Russia. The suspect, now in custody, reportedly collected components for an improvised explosive device (IED) that were delivered from Ukraine by drone, later building a bomb and concealing it inside a bicycle.

Another accomplice, a Russian citizen, allegedly parked the explosive device at the intended attack site in Moscow. That suspect allegedly previously worked on illegal communication services used by both criminal networks and Ukrainian intelligence, the agency stated. Two additional Russian nationals connected to that operation were also detained.

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The plot apparently mirrored the assassination of General Kirillov, who was reportedly killed by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter. The FSB said the similarities "confirm close ties between the Kiev regime and international terrorist organizations." Gulomov is believed to be hiding either in Ukraine or Western Europe.

Investigators noted that the bicycle bomb was powerful enough to injure people up to 70 meters away. The case is being treated as an attempted act of terrorism.

Russian authorities have repeatedly accused Ukrainian intelligence of working with Islamist militants. Moscow claims that Kiev helped provide material support for the March 2024 attack at Crocus City Hall near the capital, in which 149 people were killed by gunmen linked to IS.

(RT.com)