Putin thanks president after CIA helps foil terrorist attack

IN A rare sign of constructive ties, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, called Donald Trump yesterday to thank him for a CIA tip that helped to stop a terrorist attack in St Petersburg.

The Central Intelligence Agency relayed information that has led to the arrests of several individuals since Friday suspected of plotting attacks in St Petersburg, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the Kremlin press service.

According to the Kremlin, the information shared by the CIA “helped to track, identify and detain a group of terrorists preparing to set off explosions in St Petersburg’s Kazan Cathedral, as well as in other public areas,” Interfax reported.

Mr Putin asked the US president to relay his thanks to the director of the CIA and the intelligence officers who first received the information.

The call comes as ties between the two countries are at their weakest since the Cold War, over Russia’s annexation of Crimea and allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

It marks the first time Russia has publicly acknowledged that information from the US helped stop a terrorist attack, and was the second call between the two countries in three days.

On Thursday, Mr Trump thanked Mr Putin for his remarks “acknowledging America’s strong economic performance,” according to the White House, and the two leaders discussed ways to deal with North Korea.

Authorities in St Petersburg have detained five individuals as part of a terrorism investigation. On Friday, authorities arrested Yevgeny Yefimov, who told a court that he had illegally manufactured explosives and intended to detonate them in Kazan Cathedral on Dec 17.