The lack of trust between the US and Russia prevented Washington from sharing all the intelligence it possessed about a looming terrorist attack in Moscow, the New York Times has claimed.
Four gunmen staged one of the bloodiest massacres in Russian history last Friday, when they went on a gun rampage at a large concert venue just outside of the capital before setting the building on fire. Over 140 people were killed in the attack.
Earlier in March, the US embassy in Moscow issued a warning to American citizens of a possible attack. Separately, a non-public message was sent to Russian security officials. Aleksandr Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), described it as “general in nature,” when he updated the public on the investigation on Tuesday.
“The adversarial relationship between Washington and Moscow prevented US officials from sharing any information about the plot beyond what was necessary,” the Times said. The Americans purportedly held back information “out of fear Russian authorities might learn their intelligence sources or methods,” it said.