Italy warns against travel to Russia amid rising terror threats

- We already warned our citizens on March 8 not to go to Russia, and if they are there, to not participate in events - said Italian Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani.

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- “A terrorist attack in Russia was looming” - Italy's Foreign Affairs Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani explained in an interview published on Sunday by the newspaper Corriere della Sera.

- On March 8, we had already cautioned our citizens against travelling to Russia, and if they are there, to refrain from joining any events - the Foreign Affairs Minister recalled. “Now we hope that Putin will not leverage this tragic act of terrorism to ramp up tensions,” he added.

- “A highly unsettled Muslim minority exists at the border with Afghanistan. It’s also an open secret that there are intentions, including by the Afghan branch of ISIS, to establish an Islamic state in the Caucasian region and Central Asia. Currently, all signs suggest they might be behind this,” stated the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, in reference to the terrorist attack on Friday in Krasnogorsk near Moscow, which claimed the lives of over 130 individuals.

He further highlighted, “Terrorism affects us all, and we stand ready to collaborate in combating it; not just to avert further heightening of tensions on Russia’s eastern front, but also due to the potential worldwide threat."

- “Certainly, we cannot afford to let down our guard either,” commented Deputy Prime Minister Tajani.

US intelligence has validated the Islamic State's admission of orchestrating the terrorist attack at a concert near Moscow, as informed by a US official on Friday.

The official revealed that the United States had apprised Russia in the preceding weeks about the possibility of an assault.

“We indeed alerted the Russians,” said the official, opting to remain anonymous, without divulging further specifics.