Correctional colony buildings. Photo: from life.ru.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) Directorate for the Rostov region said it had prevented a terrorist attack at a penal colony that was allegedly being planned by three convicted citizens of Uzbekistan, according to RIA Novosti.
FSB officials said the suspects were supporters of the Islamic State group (ISIS), which is banned in Russia and a number of other countries. All three are serving sentences for serious crimes: one for murder, another for illegal drug trafficking, and the third for intentionally causing grievous bodily harm.
According to investigators, the men planned to take members of the prison staff hostage and set fire to colony buildings. They had drawn up a detailed plan but were detained before they could act. Searches reportedly uncovered improvised weapons and pieces of cloth bearing what was believed to be the flag of the terrorist organization.
A criminal case has been opened on charges of attempted terrorist activity.
Last summer, four inmates at a penal colony in the Volgograd region managed to take prison staff hostage. Armed with knives and a hammer, they attacked the colony’s warden, his deputy, and several other employees. Four staff members were killed, and several officers and inmates were wounded.
The attackers were natives of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and were described as ISIS supporters. They demanded $2 million, a helicopter, and an air corridor in exchange for the hostages. During an assault carried out by Russia’s National Guard special forces, the hostages were freed and the inmates who had staged the uprising were killed.
