Gunmen open fire outside Russian security service HQ in deadly ‘terror attack’

The attack on the Federal Security Service (FSB) building in Moscow happened shortly after president Vladimir Putin delivered his annual news conference.

Footage from the scene showed a gunman taking cover in a building immediately behind the main headquarters, and shooting in the direction of its windows. A traffic police officer can be seen lying on the floor in the clip.

Other videos show people fleeing the area in a state of panic, with drivers abandoning their cars and running for their lives.

The identified assailant was killed, according to Russia’s spy agency, which offered conflicting accounts of what happened and declined to comment on the gunman’s motives.

According to an initial briefing, a group of three gunmen entered the lobby of the headquarters shortly after 6pm local time (3pm GMT), firing automatic rounds as they approached security officers. Two of the gunmen were killed, officials initially said, but one ran out onto the street and then continued to exchange fire with officers.

A later briefing contradicted this early version, and said that a lone gunman was responsible. The gunman was intercepted and killed, with authorities provisionally classifying the incident as “an act of terrorism”.

There are as yet no confirmed figures on casualties. One social media account associated with Russian authorities suggested three presidential security officers were killed in the exchange of fire. Another reported a traffic police officer had died. There are reports of two civilian casualties, at least one of which is serious.

Special forces were deployed to the scene immediately. The area around the agency’s headquarters, a busy area in the centre of the Russian capital, was sealed off for over an hour. Five ambulances were seen leaving the scene of the shooting.

The shooting took place while Mr Putin was speaking at a Kremlin concert designed to celebrate the work of Russian security services, shortly after his annual televised press conference. It came on the eve of “spy” day, a national holiday marking the anniversary of the founding of the Cheka, the Soviet Union’s infamous secret police force.

Mr Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the president had been informed of the shooting.

Courtesy:Independent