US Withheld From Russia Intel On Terror Plot Due To 'Adversarial Relationship'

The US did not share all the information it had about a terrorist plot in Russia ahead of the shooting at a concert hall outside of Moscow that killed over 140 people, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

The paper said that the "adversarial relationship between Washington and Moscow prevented US officials from sharing any information about the plot beyond what was necessary, out of fear Russian authorities might learn their intelligence sources or methods."

In response to the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was unaware of information about the US withholding intelligence and cast doubt on the report. "The information of The New York Times, citing sources, is information that should be treated with great caution," he said.

The US Embassy in Moscow issued a public warning on March 7 that specifically warned Americans in Russia that "extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts" and to avoid large gatherings for 48 hours.

The US also passed along the warning to Russia privately, which Russian FSB chief Aleksandr Bortnikov said was "of a general nature."

Sources told the Times that Russia tightened security after the warning but may have relaxed it after an attack didn’t happen in the 48-hour window. The report said it was unclear if US intelligence was wrong about the timing of the attack or if the perpetrators noticed the heightened security and decided to wait.

ISIS-K, the Islamic State affiliate based in Afghanistan, took credit for the massacre, and the US has backed their assertion. Russia has pinned the blame on "Islamist extremists" but has also said there is a link to Ukraine and, by extension, the US and the UK.

Both the US and Ukraine denied any involvement in the attack, but the Russian Investigative Committee said Thursday that the attackers had links to "Ukrainian nationalists." Four Tajiks have been charged in Russia for carrying out the shooting.