Russia detains minor over alleged threat to Moscow's Tsaritsyno museum

Russian authorities detained a minor in connection with an alleged threat against the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in Moscow, according to a statement from the Federal Security Service published by Russian state media on Sunday.

The US embassy in Russia issued a security alert on Saturday warning of a "credible threat of a mass casualty event" at the site. The embassy said Washington was coordinating a response with Russian authorities and advised people to "avoid the area, stay alert, and avoid crowds." It gave no further detail.

The Federal Security Service said the detained minor had posted photographs of himself on TikTok in tactical clothing, a balaclava, a cap, sunglasses, headphones and an object resembling an automatic weapon, along with photographs taken at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve captioned "I found a place."

On Saturday evening the grounds of the Tsaritsyno museum and park were closed "for technical reasons" and visitors were evacuated, and the site reopened as usual on November 1, Russian media reported. The German embassy in Russia also reportedly issued a warning about a possible security threat at the museum reserve.

The alert follows a similar US embassy warning in March 2024, days before an attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow on March 22 that left more than 150 people dead and hundreds injured. In the days before that attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin called warnings from "a number of official Western bodies regarding the possibility of terrorist attacks in Russia" "provocative" and "an attempt to destabilise society."