US TIPOFF HALTS RUSSIA TERROR ATTACK
PUTIN TELEPHONED US PRESIDENT TO THANK HIM
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin called US President Donald Trump Sunday to thank him for a CIA tip that helped thwart a series of bombings in St Petersburg, the Kremlin said.
Putin expressed gratitude during the call for information provided by the CIA that allowed Russia’s top domestic security agency to track down and arrest a group of suspects that was planning to bomb Kazan Cathedral and other crowded sites, the Kremlin said.
The Kremlin added that Putin asked Trump to convey gratitude to the CIA and assured him that Russian law enforcement agencies would hand over any information they get about potential terror threats against the US, as they have done in the past.
The conversation was the second phone call between the two leaders since Thursday, when Trump thanked Putin for his remarks “acknowledging America’s strong economic performance,” according to the White House.
During the first call, they also discussed during ways to work together to address North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic weapons program, the White House said.
The Federal Security Service announced on Friday that seven suspected followers of the Islamic State had been arrested for allegedly planning to carry out terror attacks in St Petersburg. The agency said the suspects were plotting a suicide bombing.