The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Friday that it has "suppressed" four members of a sleeping cell of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, who had planned a series of attacks in the Moscow region.
The FSB did not disclose details about the operation conducted last month, including whether the suspects were detained or killed, only saying that the group came from the city of Novy Urengoy in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District.
Their activities were said to have been coordinated by terrorists in Syria with the help of instant messaging service Telegram, which Russia is attempting to block.
On Thursday, as a sequel, the FSB in conjunction with the Ministry of Internal Affairs conducted a special operation in Novy Urengoy, detaining 20 people.
During the operation, law enforcement officers reportedly seized a large number of religious extremist literature and video materials promoting IS activities, as well as communication equipment.
