FSB Thwarts Planned Terrorist Attack on Orthodox Church in Russia's Maykop

Russia's Federal Security Service claims to have prevented a terrorist attack on an Orthodox Christian church in Maykop, Adygea. The suspect, from Central Asia, is linked to an undisclosed international terrorist organization. Recent Islamist violence in the North Caucasus has increased concerns over regional security.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Thursday that it had thwarted an attempt to carry out a terrorist attack on an Orthodox Christian church located in the country's southern region, according to state news agency TASS.

The FSB reported that the suspected attacker, a citizen from an unnamed Central Asian country, had been plotting to assault the religious institution in Maykop, the capital of the Adygea region in the North Caucasus. The plan reportedly involved murdering clergy members and guards, followed by setting the church on fire.

The incident comes as Islamist violence has surged in the North Caucasus. Last month saw the deaths of 22 people in simultaneous attacks on places of worship and police checkpoints. In March, an Islamic State-claimed attack killed 145 individuals at a concert hall near Moscow. The FSB disclosed that the arrested suspect is a member of a banned international terrorist organization and investigators have confiscated a flag, various materials of the group, a knife, and incendiary device components.

(With inputs from agencies.)